Biman Bangladesh Airlines Struggles with Spare Parts Shortage, Technical Issues
Biman Bangladesh Airlines is struggling to maintain its existing fleet due to chronic shortages of spare parts and tools, according to an inspection report by Boeing. The report compares Biman's 777 and 787 fleets with Boeing's global fleet standard and finds that Biman's planes are experiencing a high rate of unusual technical issues.
The report notes that Biman's 777s had only two problems in common with the global fleet - the backup power system and the air-conditioning system's cooling and temperature controls. In contrast, the top three causes of service interruptions for Boeing's global 787 fleet are related to the general processing module, passenger seats, and in-flight entertainment units.
Boeing's report also highlights a 'lack of critical spares in stock at Dhaka base for 787 and 777' and recommends that Biman addresses its MEL (Minimum Equipment List) issues without waiting for the last minute. The report notes that the shortage has contributed to what Boeing described as a 'high minimum equipment list (MEL) count', which means an aircraft is operating with many inoperative components awaiting maintenance.
Air Commodore Mohammad Akhter Jamil, chair of avionics engineering at Aviation and Aerospace University Bangladesh, said the spare-parts shortage could be costly for the airline. He added that either procurement is not being done on time or parts are being consumed at a very high rate because of more frequent technical problems.