A group of Biman officials reportedly broke protocol to sell around 22,000 tickets for Umrah and Hajj pilgrims to just eight travel agencies.
The Association of Travel Agents of Bangladesh (ATAB), which has thousands of members, has long been complaining about preferential treatment shown by the national carrier for certain travel agencies. The Biman management has assured the travel agencies of equal treatment and issued several notices to its own officials over the past few months urging them to sell tickets only from official Biman counters.
However, reports emerged that a syndicate of Biman officials was continuing to sell tickets to only a handful of travel agencies through back-channel deals following Biman’s first flight on the Dhaka-Guangzhou route on August 18. A total of 177 tickets for the flight were sold to travel agency Takeoff Travels.
The Anti-Corruption Commission raided Biman headquarters on Wednesday to collect documents pertaining to ticketing irregularities on the Dhaka-Guangzhou flight. Biman MD and CEO Zahid Hossain has expressed his full support for the ACC’s efforts to root out corrupt officials.
Documents from Biman and the travel agencies concerned, obtained by Dhaka Tribune, show that the same officials who sanctioned the sale of tickets to Takeoff Travels also sanctioned the sale of tickets to travel agencies for the Umrah and Hajj pilgrimages.
Ticket sales to travel agencies are primarily handled by Biman Marketing and Sales Directorate General Manager Mohammad Salahuddin, Manager E-commerce Abu Zafor Mohammed Shamsul Alam, Revenue Management Manager AKM Shohidul Hasan, GM (Sales) Dilip Kumar Chowdhury, GM (Revenue) Mohammed Mizanur Rashid and Deputy General Manager (Pricing and RMS) Mohammad Ali Osman Noor and Manager (Commercial) Anayet Hossain.
The 22,000 tickets were sold to Qazi Air International Pvt Ltd, Hashem Air, Dola Fakir Air Service, Inamon Aviation Limited, Royal Air Service System, Star Holidays, Dynasty travels and Rajshahi Travels.
Among the eight, Qazi Air International Pvt Ltd, Hashem Air, Dola Fakir Air Service, Inamon Aviation Limited, and Royal Air Service System also received tickets for last year’s Hajj and Umrah.
Altogether 38 travel agencies have permission to sell tickets to Hajj and Umrah pilgrims.
State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Mahbub Ali said an inquiry committee has been formed and the authorities are working to find the culprits responsible for ticketing irregularities.
According to Biman’s ticketing policy, an individual can purchase group tickets for up to 10 people. Sales of any group tickets for more than 10 people have to be sanctioned by the Marketing GM, but there are no other restrictions.
Travel agency sources claim a small group of travel agencies book all the tickets even though they do not have enough passengers lined up, in order to control the distribution of tickets.
These agencies sometimes sell tickets to unauthorised agencies, they alleged.
ATAB protest over Umrah ticket manipulation
Leaders of travel agents have demanded a proper distribution of tickets among all permitted ticket agencies and an investigation into the matter.
Requesting anonymity, a member of Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAAB), who has been working in this field for more than three decades, told Dhaka Tribune that GM Mohammed Salahuddin gives tickets to travel agencies that give him the most benefit.
ATAB Secretary General Abdus Salam Aref told Dhaka Tribune a letter to Biman on ensuring proper ticket distribution went unanswered.
TIB: Ticketing irregularities saddening
Dr Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), told Dhaka Tribune: "It is deeply disappointing that this syndicate does not spare even Umrah Hajj pilgrims, but it is not surprising either. It is only natural that any crime that is not held to account will only deepen and widen, and this is exactly what is happening in the case of Biman’s ticket management."
"It is hard to believe that the Manager Marketing has been able to establish this illicit syndicated control over the ticketing system all by himself. There must be other staff and officials in Biman, including those at the higher levels, who are in collusion with this racket and are benefiting from this corrupt practice,” he said.