Abandoned Aircraft: United Air voices worry over sale of eight planes

United Airways has expressed concern over the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh's latest initiative to sell eight aircraft of the private air operator which remained abandoned at the Dhaka Airport since 2016.

In a letter to the CAAB on July 14, Kazi Wahidul Alam, chairman of United Airways's newly formed governing body, earnestly requested the regulatory authority to reach an acceptable solution for the both sides through discussion.

The CAAB recently started the process of confiscating 12 aircraft of four private airlines, which have been lying abandoned at the cargo village area for two to eight years.

Of the 12, United Airways owns eight, Regent Airways two, while GMG and Avina airlines have one each. All four private airlines have not been in operation since during that time, said AHM Touhid-Ul Ahsan, executive director of HSIA and group captain.

The cargo village area apparently turned into a dumping place for these abandoned aircraft, which have occupied a large portion and is disrupting loading and offloading of goods at the main parking zone, airport sources said.

United Airways, GMG, and Regent Airways owe the CAAB around Tk 750 crores as outstanding bills, he said.

"At least four to five cargo aircraft in the cargo village area could have been accommodated if the abandoned planes were removed."

Of the total arrears, the CAAB is supposed to get around Tk 190 crore from United Airways.

The CAAB has formed a four-member high-powered committee, with AHM Touhid-Ul Ahsan as its convener to find out ways how to float tender to sell those aircraft.

Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman, CAAB chairman, earlier told this correspondent that they have served several notices to the respective authorities, asking them to remove those aircrafts from the airport premises and to pay the outstanding money.

"But we didn't get any response from them. That's why we have finally decided to confiscate those aircraft."

In February 2016, United Airways ceased flights without any announcement. The airline began operation on July 10, 2006, after receiving approval from the CAAB in 2005.

Earlier in February, Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) took the initiative to revive operation.

As part of this, BSEC reorganised the board of directors of the now defunct airlines with Kazi Wahidul Alam, an aviation expert and editor of the Bangladesh Monitor, an aviation and tourism based weekly magazine, as its chairman.

Tasbirul Alam Chowdhury was removed as the head of the board of directors of United Airways, which was listed with the BSEC in 2010. The company is listed with the BSEC but its transaction is now closed.

The airlines was the first private airline listed with the stock exchange.

In a letter, it urged the CAAB to allow the airlines' officials and its technical teams to visit their aircraft for technical audits and to take the next course of action.

The airlines also said they are hoping to relocate their aircraft soon.

"We were informed that those planes are at least 50 percent capable of flying. That's why we are hopeful those can fly again after necessary maintenance," the airlines said.

"Apart from the owners, who hold 1.5 lakh of the shareholders, different banks have also invested in the airlines who are deeply concerned about the CAAB's initiative of auctioning off the aircraft," the letter read.