Biman takes action over delayed Zamzam water delivery
Dhaka: Biman Bangladesh Airlines has initiated departmental action against two officials following allegations of passenger harassment after four opposition lawmakers complained about a nearly three-hour delay in delivering Zamzam water to Umrah pilgrims arriving from Medina.
The action followed a written complaint submitted by four Jamaat-e-Islami MPs to Biman's managing director, seeking an explanation within four days over the incident involving passengers of flight BG 338 from Medina to Dhaka.
The flight landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 8:56 am on September 30.
The lawmakers — Sherpur-1 MP Md. Rashedul Islam Rashed, Dhaka-5 MP Mohammad Kamal Hossain, Gazipur-4 MP Salahuddin, and Khulna-2 MP Jahangir Hossain — said most passengers on the flight, including 34 MPs, had to wait for around three hours without receiving their tagged luggage containing Zamzam water.
In their complaint, they alleged that no reasonable explanation was provided for the delay and that passengers were subjected to harassment.
Biman, meanwhile, said a preliminary inquiry found that the delay resulted from container offloading problems and operational negligence.
Following the findings, the airline said departmental action was being initiated against baggage in-charge Monirul Islam Pradhan and flight supervisor Saddam Hossain for alleged negligence of duty.
As soon as the problem came to its attention, Biman said it arranged for Zamzam water to be distributed from its own reserve stock to minimize the inconvenience faced by the Umrah pilgrims.
The airline later identified the other container and ensured delivery of the remaining Zamzam water to the passengers.
In their complaint, the four MPs said they and other passengers arriving on BG 338 could not receive their tagged Zamzam water luggage despite waiting for around three hours.
They demanded that Biman explain the reasons behind the delay and the alleged passenger harassment within four days.
Biman said it has also strengthened internal monitoring to prevent similar incidents in the future and reiterated its commitment to providing uninterrupted and quality services to passengers.
