12 pvt planes to be sold as scrap

Parking charge of Tk 850 cr due for 10-yrs

CAAB has decided to sell the airplanes that have become a ‘thorn in the neck’
United Airways 8
Regent Airways 2
GMG Airlines 1
Aviana Airlines 1

Mahfuja Mukul: At least 12 private air crafts are lying abandoned at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka. A few private airlines own these aircraft, which have been lying abandoned for more than 10 years. All the establishments are now closed. They have no office. However, the Civil Aviation Authority has sent several letters to remove these abandoned aircraft. The auction was initiated a year ago without getting any response.
Then some owners asked for six months to pay the dues. Six months later they had no response. As a result, the planes have been lying in large areas of the airport’s cargo village for a long time. Apart from this, parking and surcharges of these aircrafts are owed about Tk 850 crore.
Authorities say that the space left vacant by the removal of the 12 derelict aircraft will allow parking of at least seven aircrafts. However, the owners of the planes are not responding. Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) has decided to sell the airplanes that have become a ‘thorn in the neck’.
If the auction is done, parking charges and surcharges will be recovered, space will also be freed up in the cargo village. However, if the desired price is not obtained in the auction, the aircraft will be sold at the price per kg as scrap.
According to CAAB: United Airways has the highest number of planes lying abandoned at the airport at eight. Two planes of Regent Airways, one of GMG Airlines and one of Aviana Airlines were stranded. About Tk 850 crore due for parking charges and surcharges of these aircrafts. GMG Airlines has the highest arrears among them. CAAB owes Tk 360 crore to this institution.
In 2012, GMG Airlines suspended its international and domestic flights. After that, the plane of this company never flew again.
The amount due from Regent Airways is Tk 200 crore. Regent closed in March 2020. Earlier, the company had stopped flights on several routes. Apart from this, United Airways owes Tk 190 crore to the authorities for parking charges and surcharges. United Airways, the only airline listed on the country’s stock market, has been closed since 2016.
The airport authorities say that the registration of the planes has already been canceled by CAAB. After that, notices have been issued to remove the aircraft from the airport. A year ago, the initiative was also taken to sell the aircraft by auction to recover the dues. Then some owners asked for six months to pay the dues. Even after that time, they have not seen each other. For this reason, the decision to auction again is being discussed. Preparations for this auction will be made soon.
Shahjalal International Airport Executive Director Group Captain Kamrul Islam told, “We have written many times to remove the aircrafts. However, the airlines did not respond. Didn’t even pay the money owed to them. Despite repeated requests, they did not take any initiative. Now according to the Civil Aviation Act – the abandoned aircrafts will be confiscated and auctions will be organized quickly.
According to airport sources, auctioning the abandoned 12 aircrafts is not the main objective of the authority. The main reason for the auction is to increase the airport’s own space. Now the construction of the third terminal at Shahjalal Airport is at the final stage.
For this, the aircrafts parked in the cargo area need to be moved. Keeping this in mind, the authorities have decided to organize a quick auction. If the desired price is not obtained in the auction, the aircraft will be sold at the price per kg as scrap.
Meanwhile, none of these defunct airlines now have offices and addresses. As a result, after much searching, no one’s statement was found.
However, on condition of anonymity, an official of CAAB told that the abandoned 12 aircrafts have become a thorn in our neck. Due to these, the airport has become a huge dumping station. Congested environment has been created in Cargo-Village area. At least seven aircraft could be parked there if the derelict aircraft were removed. At the same time, it would be easier to carry goods in cargo planes.
About the preparation of the auction, the executive director of the airport, Group Captain Kamrul Islam said, “The procedures and recommendations for determining the auction process have been finalized. Proceeding step by step with legal opinion. Hopefully, we can complete the auction before the third terminal opens.