Biman struggles to keep Dash 8s flying as maker pauses production

The national flag carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines is in a quagmire with its five units of Dash 8 Q400 planes as their Canadian manufacturer has suspended production of the series, causing a scarcity of spare parts in the global market.

Biman's one leased Dash 8 plane has been grounded for a month due to not having the required spare parts to repair the aircraft, for which the carrier is not only missing out on revenue but also has to pay $1.26 lakh per month. 

Biman is also facing problems in operating the other four Dash 8s in its fleet as it cannot find the required spare parts in the market. 

Biman operates Dash 8 planes mostly on domestic routes. The scarcity of spare parts is disrupting flight schedules and putting the carrier at a financial loss, according to insiders at Biman.  

In this situation, Biman is using the spare parts of the grounded plane to keep the other Dash 8s in operation, according to a Biman source. 

Though Biman has a component services programme with Boeing, it does not have one with De Havilland, making the crisis more acute. 

In the aviation industry, it is common practice that operators have such contracts with manufacturers to get available spare parts to maintain their fleet.  

This component services programme allows a carrier to effectively manage the availability of the components that are crucial to aircraft maintenance and keeping flights operational.

The contract ensures fast and easy access to components when a carrier needs them and reduces component inventory costs. 

When contacted, Shafiul Azim, managing director of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, said the flying hours of the leased Dash 8 has been reduced due to some technical glitch. 

He said it is very difficult to find spare parts for Dash 8 as De Havilland has halted the production of this series. 

"Not only Biman, but other airliners operating Dash 8s are also going through a similar problem," Shafiul Azim added.

Biman is now trying to go for the component service programmes with De Havilland to get an emergency supply of spare parts, he added. 

Flights in plight

The shortage of spare parts forced the operator to compromise on some repair requirements, causing safety hazards for passengers, said a pilot of Biman who operates Dash 2.

Sharing his experience of flying Dash 8s after the issue arose, a pilot, on condition of anonymity, told the Business Standard that pilots sometimes cannot keep the needed altitude pressure inside the planes due to technical glitches. 

When certain pressure is not maintained, it causes breathing problems, headaches and other health hazards for heart patients, he added.

One Dash 8 aircraft facing pressurisation problems had to be landed back in Dhaka six times in two weeks, he said. But Biman still cannot repair the plane due to the shortage of spare parts. 

Biman prepared its flight schedule considering five planes it had available. Now, having one grounded is causing flight disruptions, he mentioned. 

For instance, two planes faced tyre deflection issues recently in Cox's Bazar and Saidpur, causing flight disruption as the standby aircraft remained grounded, the pilot added. 

Meanwhile, Biman has launched an inquiry over frequent tyre deflections of the planes to find whether it is happening due to low-quality products or lack of maintenance, he added. 

Others with Dash 8

US-Bangla also has two Dash 8s in operation and this operator is also facing problems in sourcing spare parts. 

When contacted, Captain Lutfor Rahman, CEO of US-Bangla Airlines, said spare parts makers reduced production after De Havilland suspended manufacturing of Dash 8. 

The availability of spare parts for this series has become more scarce after the pandemic and Ukraine-Russia war, he added. 

However, US-Bangla is able to operate its two Dash 8s using its own stock of spare parts as it has a large stock, he added. The carrier is also sourcing from Indian airline SpiceJet as the latter also has a large stock. 

Suspended production 

De Havilland pressed pause in its Dash 8 production in mid-2021 when Biman in the same year took delivery of two new aircraft of this family. 

The suspension is for an indefinite period due to slow orders as airliners are preferring its closest competitor ATR. 

The first of the three Dash-8s was purchased based on a government-to-government agreement between Bangladesh and Canada on 26 December 2020. 

The second and the third were added to Biman's fleet respectively on 24 February 2021 and 5 March 2021.