National flag carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines is set to recruit permanent employees by March 31 to improve the service of the cargo handling department at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
M Asaduzzaman, the acting managing director and CEO of Biman, told the Dhaka Tribune on Thursday that the airline is taking all the steps suggested by the British authorities to lift the ongoing ban on direct cargo flights from Dhaka.
The British government on March 8 put an embargo on direct cargo flights from Shahjalal Airport raising concerns about security procedures and cargo facilities. Biman is the lone ground handling operator at the airport.
Failure to meet the UK’s requirements on cargo facilities and airport security by March 31 may result in a ban on passenger flights to the country.
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London asks Dhaka to improve airport securityBGMEA urges UK to relax ban on air cargo shipmentUK inspection teams visited Bangladesh twice at the end of last year and stressed on the inadequate security at Dhaka airport.
An official of Biman said the UK team had raised concerns about the temporary staff at the airport cargo who might commit crimes as they are not liable to the airlines. They observed that the entire cargo area of the airport was run by outsiders who were not even permanent employees of the ground handler.
Moreover, outsiders, mainly employees of different clearing and forwarding agents, were another threat on the ground, they said.
After the UK ban, Biman held two board meetings to approve important decisions. The government also formed a high powered seven member committee led by the aviation minister.
Air Vice Marshal Sanaul Huq was removed from the position of chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority, Bangladesh and Aviation Secretary Khurshed Alam Chowdhury was transferred.
The UK team also pointed out that airport security was weak due to easy access to sensitive areas like the cargo village.
The government is currently negotiating with a number of UK based security firms – Restrata, Redline and Westminster Group – to engage in assisting Bangladesh airport security agencies and train them, as a short term response to the problem.
The Aviation Security Force (Avsec), a combined force of Air Force and Ansar members, began operating at the airport from February to improve security conditions and the formation of a specialised force is underway.
