Biman hijack bid: 5 CAAB staff suspended

Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) has suspended five of its employees on charge of negligence in duty during the alleged hijack attempt of a Biman aircraft at Chattogram airport on February 24.

Civil Aviation Secretary Mohibul Haque today confirmed the development to The Daily Star.

Details about the suspended employees could not be learnt immediately.

Meanwhile, the deadline for submitting the report of the probe committee, formed to investigate the incident, has been extended for seven more working days, Mohibul Haque also said.

Yesterday, the civil aviation secretary said that the report submission deadline was extended for two days till Tuesday. As per the new deadline, the investigation committee will have to submit its report by March 14.

On February 25, Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry formed a five-member probe committee headed by the ministry’s Additional Secretary Md Mokabbir Hossain to investigate the incident.

The Boeing 737-800 aircraft of Biman Bangladesh Airlines made an emergency landing at Chattogram’s Shah Amanat International Airport on February 24 evening after one Polash Ahmed, a passenger on the flight, allegedly attempted to hijack the plane.

He was killed later in an eight-minute operation by the members of the army’s para-commando unit.