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Published : 24 Sep 2014, 08:28 PM
Speaking at a press conference organised by the of the private airline’s staff on Wednesday, Director of Flight Operations Captain M Ilias announced the suspension.
The airline’s chairman and managing director Tasbirul Ahmed Choudhury resigned on Tuesday.
Launched in 2007, the private airline flew several domestic and a few international routes. In recent times passengers had been complaining about the poor services.
After Choudhury resigned, Md Mahtabur Rahman was appointed as the new chairman.
Captain M Ilias said, “United does not have the money that is required to run a flight. We cannot run any flights under these circumstances.”
Director (customer) Farhad Hossain, Captian Wahid and Director (administration) were present at the press conference.
The airline’s Doha, Muscat and Kuala Lumpur flights scheduled for Wednesday did not fly from Dhaka either.
According to Ilias, the company is now “without any authority”.
“None of us have been able to contact the new chairman or the director. We know the passengers are suffering. But right now there are no authorities in this orgnaisation,” he said.
“A flight requires fuel costs, catering costs. We don’t know whwere this money is going to come from tomorrow. Without the money there can’t be any flights tomorrow. We can’t dop this if the management doesn’t show up,” he said.
Asked whether passengers would be refunded for their tickets, Ilias said, “That’s the rule, and it’s the management’s job. But they’re nowhere to be seen.”
He added that the fates of about 1,000 employees of the company were also uncertain.
Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) Director of Flight Safety and Regulations SM Nazmul Anam told bdnews24.com the problem was between United staff and the management.
“We have told them they can run flights if they want,” he said.
Shahinur Alam was appointed acting MD after Tasbirul Ahmed Choudhury’s resignation. Wing Commander (retd) Ferdous Imam was appointed as the CEO, but he resigned within hours.
CAAB issued licence to United in 2005. They launched operations two years later.
United, a publicly listed company, owes CAAB Tk 840 million. The regulator set several deadlines for payment and eventually warned the airline that its licence may be scrapped.
A notice on Dhaka Stock Exchange website on Tuesday said the United board had recommended payment of 10 percent stock dividend to shareholders for the last financial year.
Ilias said, “As per the company act, we’re informing the authorities about this crisis through the media. Besides, shareholders have a right to know what is happening in this public limited company.”
“The company act has a solution for this. We want an efficient management. The old chairman could be brought back,” he said.
Asked whether the staff were seeking a government intervention, he said, “There are provisions in the law about what should be done.”
Asked whether fresh finances would resolve the problem, he said, “We want an honest and efficient management.”
United Airways was operating international flights from Dhaka to Jeddah, Dubai, Muscat, Singapore, Bangkok, Kathmandu, Kolkata and Chittagong to Kolkata and Muscat.
It also had domestic flights from Dhaka to Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Sylhet, Jessore, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Barisal and Ishwardi.
The United fleet consists of 11 planes, including one Dash 8, three ATR 72s, five MD 83s and two Airbus A310s.
