Photo : Messenger
Kiton Sikder, a passenger bound for London, recently shared a photo of an empty flight of Biman Bangladesh on his Facebook account. He captioned it, “Today's scene on Bangladesh Biman's London to Bangladesh flight, March 13, 2024 (BG-202). All seats are empty. However, when attempting to book tickets, it's indicated that all tickets have been sold, showing a fully booked status.”
“The government-owned Biman Bangladesh Airlines suffers annual losses amounting to hundreds of crores of taka due to syndicates of thieves and swindlers. Their activities consistently inflate airfare prices, leading to continual losses for Biman throughout the year.”
This uproar stemmed from such Facebook statuses. Subsequently, airline authorities responded to the issue. However, incidents like Kiton Sikder's are not isolated; similar occurrences are frequent.
It has come to light that ticket chaos ensues due to syndicates within Bangladesh Biman's sales and marketing department. Consequently, passenger interest in the nation's sole flag carrier is diminishing. Despite an average of 30,000 passengers traveling by air daily domestically and internationally, Bangladesh Biman can only accommodate 20 percent of them. The remaining 70 to 80 percent opt for other airlines. Despite its potential, Bangladesh Biman struggles to attract a significant passenger volume.
Experts attribute this failure to internal syndicates within Biman, inadequate ticket availability, divergent pricing between the website and agencies, higher fares compared to other airlines, and ticket cancellations.
Investigations reveal that three individuals control Bangladesh Biman's ticketing: Assistant Director (Commercial) Farhana Akter, Deputy Manager FM Tabibur Rahman, and Manager Golam Mostafa.
Allegations suggest that a select group of agents collude with them to exploit Biman tickets. They often book tickets under false names, with some international bookings lacking passport details. Passengers are deprived of tickets as agents hold them for speculative periods, releasing them when unable to sell at inflated prices. Consequently, flights frequently depart with empty seats, resulting in significant revenue loss for Biman.
Recently, 43 seats remained vacant on a Malaysia-bound Bangladesh Biman flight despite high demand. Many passengers were unable to purchase tickets due to prior bookings. Booking agents typically release seats last-minute, resulting in unoccupied flights. Although penalties exist for such practices, they are seldom enforced. A similar incident occurred with the BG-Rome flight, prompting backlash within Bangladesh Biman itself.
Shafiul Azim, Managing Director, and CEO of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, told the media that there is both a crisis and a possibility, adding, “We have to address both simultaneously. We are navigating through both the possibilities and crises, and we will move forward.”
According to sources, over the last decade, many officials have been involved in ticket syndication, resulting in significant financial losses. The issue remains unresolved. Bangladesh Biman's Guangzhou route in China was expected to be profitable. However, due to this syndicate, Bangladesh Biman's seats remained empty on that route, while a private airline in Bangladesh is operating profitably.
Expressing anger, aviation expert Jamal Uddin said, “Biman Bangladesh has been operating since 1972. It's now crucial to calculate the losses Biman has incurred in the last 50 years. There is indeed a problem here. The syndicate exists, and tickets are sold on the black market even when they're not available at higher prices.”
He added, “While other airlines are performing well, why is Biman Bangladesh lagging behind? There must be a reason for this. The reasons should be investigated internally, and if not possible, by other agencies. Then we can understand who bears what responsibility.”
TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said, “Corruption is widespread within Biman. They have formed a syndicate and held the state flag carrier hostage. Without accountability, corruption has reached alarming levels.”
He added that the Standing Committee of the Parliament related to the ministry must be more proactive. Those responsible must be held accountable for corrective action to be taken.”
Meanwhile, this reporter spoke to several passengers at the airport. A female passenger bound for Malaysia alleged that she initially intended to fly with Bangladesh Biman but opted for another airline due to concerns about ticket availability and cancellations.
She mentioned that Biman is losing passengers due to doubts, fears of cancellations, and high air ticket prices. Despite the country's desire, people are reluctant to fly with Bangladesh Biman. She also emphasised the need for authorities to deeply consider this issue.
Abdus Salam Aref, President of the Association of Travel Agencies of Bangladesh, said, “We will discuss these issues with the ministry and relevant authorities. We will ensure that no one benefits from syndicates.”
Messenger/Disha
