PM asks ministry

RASHIDUL HASAN

There is finally a ray of hope for reviving the now-defunct United Airways as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has given instructions to waive the huge amounts of surcharge the airline owes to the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB).

The prime minister came up with this instruction while Professor Shibli Rubayat-Ul-Islam, chairman of the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC), called on her at the latter’s office on Wednesday.

“We have been trying to revive United Airways, a listed company in the stock market. We spoke to the prime minister several times in this regard as 97 per cent of the company’s shareholders are general people. Finally, the premier wanted to know what our plan is to do so,” Islam said.

“I told her that we want to revive the airline as a cargo operator as new clients have started contacting us in that regard. They will use the airline as a cargo carrier,” he added.

Islam also said the new clients plan to sell the company’s old aircrafts and purchase new cargo aircraft.