No need to panic over technical issues raised about Boeing's Dreamliner-787 aircraft: Minister

Addressing technical issues raised by a whistleblower regarding the Dreamliner-787 model aircraft,  Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Muhammad Faruk Khan has said there is nothing to panic. 

"A lot of things have come up in the media about Boeing's Dreamliner-787. We are not giving too much importance to the matter at the moment. But we have talked to the company and asked about the technical issues. We have not found any problems at the moment. There is nothing to panic about at the moment," he told reporters after a meeting with the UK's Minister of State (Indo-Pacific) for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs Anne-Marie Trevelyan at the Secretariat on Tuesday (7 May).

Recently, Faruk Khan directed Biman to talk to the Boeing company about the technical issues raised by a whistleblower regarding the Dreamliner-787 model aircraft.

At present, the total number of aircraft in the fleet is 21. Of these, four are Boeing 777-300 ER, four are Boeing 787-8, two are Boeing 787-9, six are Boeing 737 and five are Dash 8-400 aircraft.  

The whistleblower, Sam Salehpour, who worked at Boeing for more than a decade, last week alleged that the company dismissed safety concerns about the assembly of its 787 and 777 jets that fly international routes. 

Salehpour, a veteran quality engineer, claimed Boeing failed to adequately shim, or use a thin piece of material to fill tiny gaps in a manufactured product, an omission that could cause premature fatigue failure over time in some areas of the aircraft.

After today's meeting, the minister said Biman Bangladesh Airlines would select either US-based aircraft manufacturer Boeing or European aerospace giant Airbus to purchase planes considering Bangladesh's profit.

"We got a pretty decent proposal from Airbus, and Boeing has likewise given us a decent proposition. Biman has formed an evaluation committee in this regard, which will be good for Bangladesh. . . We will consider that," he said.

Khan said Airbus has already submitted a financial proposal, and Biman will take a decision after examining them thoroughly.

During the meeting, he said, they discussed Bangladesh's aviation security training, investment, ground handling, and procuring modern equipment.

"Apart from Dhaka, development work at our two airports in Sylhet and Cox's Bazar is ongoing, and we are trying to make Syedpur an air hub. Due to these reasons, they [the UK] have expressed keen interest in the civil aviation sector," the minister said.

The UK's state minister said the UK has an existing security partnership with Bangladesh's civil aviation ministry. However, they also discussed elevating the relationship between the two countries further in the aviation sector.

Expressing her satisfaction with Bangladesh's overall development in different sectors, Trevelyan hoped that the aviation industry would play an important role in Bangladesh's graduation to a middle income country.

"Bangladesh is developing its airports, and a new terminal has been constructed… That's why we want to share our expertise in different sectors, including aviation securities," she said.