Captain Mahbubur Rahman, the president of the Bangladesh Airlines Pilots’ Association (BAPA), has been removed from his job as a pilot amid an ongoing dispute among pilots and the airline authority over wages and allowances.
Rahman was removed from the post on Nov 29, according to a letter signed by Abu Saleh Mostafa Kamal, Biman managing director and CEO, reports bdnews24.com.
“We did not terminate any presidents, we terminated a Biman captain,” Biman MD Kamal said.
Rahman, the pilot of a Biman Boeing 787 airplane, did not comment on the matter.
On Oct 25, Biman Bangladesh pilots dissatisfied with wages and allowances decided to stop working hours in excess of the terms of their contracts, which led to delays on several international flights and difficulties for passengers.
The authorities met with pilots several times to discuss the issue. Rahman had represented the pilots at the time.
On Nov 20, Biman Chairman Sajjadul Hassan said at an event that the prime minister had ordered an inquiry into who was responsible for the recent Biman schedule debacle.
Those who delay or disrupt Biman service will be held responsible, Md Mahbub Ali, the state minister for civil aviation and tourism, said at the same event.
Then, at a Biman board meeting on Nov 24, the airline’s managing director and CEO was tasked with ‘decisively removing, terminating, and taking departmental action’ on those who ‘hindered’ the operation of the airline.
On Nov 29, Abu Saleh Mostafa Kamal signed the order terminating Captain Mahbubur Rahman.
