What we see of Biman is its outer shell; its core having being eaten away, it is now left only with the dregs. Bangladesh Biman has been in a state of total disarray for a long time, and those responsible to keep the flag flying, are to blame for their gross failure to ensure that the corporation runs efficiently to make it into a profitable one. When Dhaka is becoming a new hub of international air travel, and when all around us most other foreign airlines have increased their passenger intake from Dhaka, some only after a few years of commencing operations, Biman had to close down some of its existing routes and was forced to suffer losses in revenue to foreign airlines because of mismanagement with lack of planning to top it off.

One must delve deeply into why has Biman come to such a miserable state. We believe that financial crunch is not the only problem that faces the airline? Much of the cause for its despicable state has to be attributed to poor management, wasteful exploitation of its meagre resources, offering of undue services to please higher ups in total disregard for the interest of the organisation. These demonstrate the utter unconcern for the organisation that amounts to criminal neglect; such actions have gone against our national interest.

Merely infusing cash will not solve Biman's problems. It needs complete revamping, starting with long-term plan to enhance the fleet, improve its service, and regain its goodwill primarily by keeping regularity of the flight schedules. But nothing will come of any plans unless it is spared political interference. Very little will come of it also if Biman does not undertake cost cutting measures and manpower rationalisation, since it perhaps has the highest aircraft to manpower ratio in the world, and purge rampant corruption that involves most in the chain.

No short-term measure will do. What has been contemplated is a palliative that may temporary resuscitate, but not permanently cure, what is a very sick organisation indeed.