Overstressed, pilots say no to flight operation

Highlights

• A section of pilots wrote to the Biman management not to put them on duty beyond regulatory hours, saying excess duty leads to flight fatigue, which is also a threat to flight safety.

• Despite a low number of flights compared to times before the pandemic, pilots are being overstressed due to not having long stopovers in the destination.

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• Currently, Biman has around 140 pilots while the fleet size is 20. Though several new aircraft joined the fleet in the last one year, Biman did not train its pilots to operate the airplanes, said insiders.

Outraged by excess flying hours and duty time beyond the regulatory threshold, pilots of Biman Bangladesh Airlines are declining to operate flights.

A section of pilots wrote to the Biman management not to put them on duty beyond regulatory hours, saying excess duty leads to flight fatigue, which is also a threat to flight safety.

The Business Standard has obtained several such letters that mention the pilots completed 75 hours of the monthly flying limit in February and, in some cases, they worked more than 80-90 hours that month.

The letters say this breaks the agreement of the Bangladesh Airlines' Pilot Association (Bapa).

So, from the standpoint of fatigue and flight safety, the pilots decline to operate the flights assigned to them, according to the letters.

Though Biman Bangladesh Airlines resumed flights gradually on international routes after a long break caused by the pandemic, it did not start layover for pilots in the destinations causing overstress for them.

Sharing experience, a pilot told The Business Standard that in February, he had flown 93 hours and got only two days off although he was entitled to eight days.

According to the Bapa agreement, a pilot can fly for maximum 75 hours a month, he said, adding that flying beyond that limit is an individual choice, but Biman management is forcing them to work extra hours ignoring the flight safety issue.

Despite a low number of flights compared to times before the pandemic, pilots are being overstressed due to not having long stopovers in the destination.

More pilots are required when nonstop flights are operated, but the young pilots trained over the last one year are kept idle. As a result, a section of aviators are going through excessive stress, the pilot said, seeking anonymity.

He also blamed the flight operation department for mismanagement in operation that led to such a situation.

A top Bapa leader said they will sit with the Biman management soon to discuss the matter.

Asked about it, Abu Saleh Mostafa Kamal, managing director of Biman, said there are some issues relating to the pilots' over duty, "we will look into them."

Currently, Biman has around 140 pilots while the fleet size is 20. Though several new aircraft joined the fleet in the last one year, Biman did not train its pilots to operate the airplanes, said insiders.

Of the 20 aircraft, four are Dash-8, six are 737, four are 777 and six are 787 Dreamliner.