FAA regrets for not allowing Biman flight to land at JFK airport (Updated)

Dhaka, May 16 (BDNEWS) – US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) Tuesday formally expressed regret to Biman Bangladesh Airlines for not allowing its BG-011 flight to land at JFK airport.

A Biman spokesman told BDNEWS that as Bangladesh embassy in the US demanded an explanation into the glitch, FAA formally said 'sorry' saying the incident as a 'misunderstanding'.

Biman sources said, the BG-012 was barred from landing on the US soil and it got stranded at the Montreal airport with 257 passengers on May 13. The uncalled-for situation not only incurred huge loss to Biman but also damaged the good will of the national flag carrier in the global market.

A Biman press release said Engelken, director of South and Mid-east affairs of the US state department, termed the chaos as a 'mistake' and said state department demanded an enquiry into the matter from FAA.

Moreover, Engelken expressed deep sorrow over the issue and shrugged off any possibility of barring Biman flights from the US air space.

It has been learnt that following FAA's apology over the incident, uncertainty over next three Dhaka-New York flights was removed.

The next three flights of May 20, 27 and June 3 would take off in scheduled time, Biman sources informed.

However, the June 3 flight will be the last on Dhaka-Brussels-New York route. The national flag carrier took the decision of stopping Dhaka-Brussels-New York flight to reduce the huge loss worth Tk 73 lakh per trip, the sources added.

Earlier, FAA had reportedly been pressing to upgrade the Biman flight from B category to A category, otherwise it warned to demote it to C category, and would prohibit Biman flights from landing at US airports.

At present, Biman conducts international flights in 26 countries of the three continents and domestic flights on seven routes.

The Bangladesh Biman fleet has six DC 10s, four airbuses and four F-28.

BDNEWS/1700 hrs