Biman Bangladesh Airlines has removed its Public Relations General Manager Boshra Islam, following allegations of severe negligence and communication failures during a recent technical crisis in Rome, Italy.
The order relieving her of her duties was issued on Thursday. The decision came after Boshra faced allegations of negligence in providing information on various Biman matters, which came to light particularly during a technical glitch involving a Biman flight in Rome.
In her place, Biman’s Corporate Planning General Manager Md Mohiuddin has been appointed to look after Public Relations department as an additional responsibility.
The crisis originated on 6 August, when Biman Flight BG-306 departed from Toronto, Canada, for Dhaka with 259 passengers on board. The aircraft landed in Rome, Italy, for refuelling, where a technical glitch was subsequently detected.
Despite efforts lasting approximately eight hours, the technical fault could not be repaired, forcing the flight to be grounded where passengers were kept confined.
The passengers were later deboarded and taken inside airport terminal. However, because Bangladeshi passport holders did not have permission to enter Italy, majority of passengers had to remain inside airport.
Subsequently, a team of expert engineers was dispatched from Dhaka to Rome. After they successfully resolved the defect, the flight departed Rome on Saturday and landed in Dhaka on Sunday.
The ordeal, which spread across social media and international media, threw the national flag carrier into a severe image crisis.
Under high-level directives, the decision to relieve PR chief of her duties was made after she failed to manage overall public relations, failed to properly exchange correct information, and provided misleading information to both media and victims.
