A female cabin crew member of Biman Bangladesh Airline has recently been caught smoking while in uniform, raising safety concerns.
Biman Managing Director and CEO Shafiul Azim called it a minor issue and told Dhaka Tribune on Tuesday morning that the department concerned would take care of the matter.
An official at Biman Administration and HR, requesting anonymity, said the cabin crew member had been removed from duty and that action would be taken against her after an investigation.
Meanwhile, an aviation security expert said: “While cabin crew tells passengers not to smoke, such an act by a cabin crew member puts the safety of the flight and passengers at risk.”
Cabin crew member Marian Adhikary Mery is seen smoking a cigarette and chatting with her colleagues in a video clip obtained by Dhaka Tribune.
The incident took place in the last week of April.
According to an official at Biman Flight Operations, smoking is strictly prohibited on flights, including in lavatories, which also have smoke detectors.
The official called the violation of flight safety regulations surprising.
Biman issued Mery a show-cause notice on Sunday, giving her 96 hours to give an explanation and warning that it would take action according to its rules if the explanation was not satisfactory.
“Your actions are unprofessional and violate Biman rules," the Biman notice says.
When asked about the matter over the phone, Mery told this reporter that she was in a state of panic and hung up without giving any details.
