Authorities at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport have finally decided to confiscate and auction off 12 airplanes that have been occupying a large part of the cargo village for years, disrupting the loading and unloading of goods. It is a much awaited initiative that should have been taken years ago by the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (Caab).

The cargo village has essentially been turned into a graveyard for planes, with United starting this practice way back. And the Caab’s inaction against United prompted other rogue airlines to follow suit. Out of the 12 planes, eight were abandoned by United Airways, two by Regent Airways, and one each by GMG and Avina. According to the airport’s executive director, these airplanes have not been in operation for one to eight years.

United, Regent, and GMG owe Tk 750 crore to Caab in different unpaid charges. Of the total sum, United owes Tk 190 crore, GMG Tk 360 crore, and Regent Tk 200 crore. Caab has written to these companies multiple times to remind them of these unpaid fees, but never got any response. Additionally, the abandoned planes have been taking up space that could have been used by four or five additional cargo planes, allowing Caab to earn more.

These airplanes have finally been de-registered, clearing the way for them to be sold off. And according to a report published by this newspaper on July 6, officials will soon call for tenders from parties interested in buying them.

We hope the authorities have done their homework when it comes to the legal and other hurdles in selling off these abandoned planes. They have been taking up cargo space for long enough and have caused the Caab to incur enough losses. It is high time the authorities sold them off and freed up airport space.