Biman Bangladesh Airlines may face a crisis this month as officials and staff, demonstrating for immediate resignation of its chairman and board members, threatened yesterday to go on a 48-hour strike from April 16. The strike will also have a negative impact on the activities of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, as Biman's staffs take care of the ground handling services of the airport, said Biman officials.

During the strike, all administrative activities of Biman will be come to a halt and no flight of the national flag carrier will take off from 6:00am of April 16, said the demonstrators.

They also threatened to go on an indefinite strike if their demands were not met after the 48-hour strike.

The announcements came at a rally that was held following a sit-in by several hundred agitated officials and employees of the national flag carrier's head office at Balaka Bhaban at Kurmitola from 11:15am to 1:30pm.

Under the banner of "Biman Bachao Oikya Parishad," seven trade unions of Biman demanded that Biman's Chairman and members of Biman's board of directors resign immediately taking liability of what they

claimed as Tk 1,000 crore loss that the national flag carrier incurred due to inefficiency of the current board.

Police were deployed around Balaka Bhaban to ward off any untoward incident.

During the demonstration, agitated Biman employees also locked the office room of Biman's Chairman Air Marshal (retd) Jamal UddinAhmed.

The rally was addressed by the presidents of Bangladesh Airlines Pilots' Association (BAPA), Biman Officers' Association, Society of Aircraft Engineers' Association, Biman Cabin Crew Association, Biman Employees Union Association and the convenor of Biman Bachao Oikya Parishad to press home the demand.

Since the demonstration began on March 5, the chairman and other members stopped coming to Balaka Bhaban.

Earlier on March 21, the Biman staff staged a sit-in and threatened to go for an indefinite strike if their demand was not met by March 26.