‘Recruitment irregularities’: CAAB lifts license suspension of Biman, Captain Sazid

The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) has overturned its decision to suspend the license of Biman’s captain Sazid Ahmed.

The CAAB announced this in a notice dated September 26, without providing further details.

Previously, on November 23, 2023, the CAAB suspended the license of Capt. Sazid in connection with his alleged involvement in irregularities during the recruitment of pilots in Biman.

The suspension order, signed by the CAAB’s director of flight safety and regulations, said the license would remain suspended until an investigation into the recruitment of unqualified pilots was concluded in February last year.

Captain Sazid, Biman’s former head of training, was removed from his position on March 9, 2023.

On March 1, 2023, The Daily Star published a report titled “Biman pays to hire unqualified Boeing 777 pilots”, which highlighted Captain Sazid’s involvement in recruitment irregularities.

Biman’s internal investigation revealed that Captain Sazid allegedly created an “artificial pilot crisis” to facilitate the recruitment of his wife, Sadia Ahmed, as a contract pilot. This was confirmed by sources involved in the investigation.

The report also revealed that Sadia’s higher secondary school certificate was forged. The CAAB later suspended her driving license in late March after confirming that her education certificate was fake.

An investigation was launched against Sadia, but she left the country before appearing before the Biman Commission of Inquiry.

Biman abruptly suspended the investigation on October 18, 2022, citing the office’s order. The airline said the investigation had been stopped because the High Court had set up a commission to look into the matter. However, the High Court did not order Biman to stay the investigation.

An investigative body of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism later confirmed allegations of irregularities in Biman’s recruitment of 14 Boeing 777 pilots in 2022. The findings were submitted to the High Court in May.

The report revealed widespread irregularities in the recruitment process, from job circulars to the appointment and training of pilots, with Captain Sazid at the center.

Asked about the lifting of the suspension of Captain Sazid’s license despite his involvement in the irregularities, a senior CAAB official told The Daily Star that although the pilot may have been involved in various offenses, there were no problems with his licence.