The removal of 12 abandoned aircraft, which have been occupying a large slice of the cargo village at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, hangs in the balance.
The long legal procedure and non-cooperation from craft owners are to blame for this delay as the idle planes are disrupting freight operations at cargo terminal.
Eight aircraft of United Airways, two of Regent Airways, and one each of GMG Airlines and Aviana Airlines have remained out of operation from one year to nearly one decade.
So, the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) earlier decided to confiscate and auction off the craft with an eye to having more space for cargo handling.
But the jet owners have been trying to halt the process through applying to the government authorities concerned in the name of resuming operations.
Now, everything depends on the attorney general's opinion, a source said.
"Cargo terminal is not a storehouse. We'll go for auctioning the craft as early possible after getting legal opinion. A process is well under way."
The owners of the private aircraft show reluctance to pay a large amount of dues they owe the CAAB.
GMG Airlines tops the list of defaulters.
An official said the state authority CAAB has frequently asked the airlines to pay their dues but to no avail, they do not respond.
When asked, CAAB chairman Air Vice-Marshal M Mafidur Rahman said, "We earlier decided to remove the abandoned aircraft. It will take time… to clear them."
The CAAB is frequently reminding the owners of clearing the airport. But they do not respond, he told the FE.
"If we smash the craft, they will file a case against the state agency CAAB, which has a huge amount of dues with the private airlines."
The auction process is underway, said Mr Rahman.
The dumped aircraft and a large volume of different equipment have occupied a large area at the airport.
United Airways reconstituted its board of directors headed by Kazi Wahidul Alam in 2021.
When asked, he said, "We've already completed the pending audit and the AGM. All official formalities, including submission of returns, are done. Besides, technical and financial audits are done."
"We need permission from the CAAB to resume operations. Currently, the permission is on hold. The CAAB will not give permission without the payment of dues."
"United owes an estimated Tk 4.0 billion to date. We've requested the government for a waiver on surcharge. We want to pay principal amount to the CAAB," he cited.
The United chairman said technical assessment and valuation of the aircraft have already been done.
"If we can sell the aircraft, we'll purchase new two/three airplanes for going operation newly. But we need permission from the CAAB and Securities Exchange Commission for sale."
Mr Alam claimed that if we take longer to sell, the valuation of the aircraft will decrease gradually.
In 2021, Regent Airways sought the CAAB's permission to sell after fixing the prices of its two planes. To date, the CAAB has not given any permit.
GMG Airlines also sought permission for the same but it did not get the authority's endorsement.
The Prime Minister's Office is set to meet on standardising both passenger and cargo services on January 23, with principal secretary Mohammad Tofazzel Hossain Miah in the chair.
The Regent and GMG authorities could not be contacted over phone for comment.
