The airline says it has started to pay the outstanding amounts
The United Airways Bangladesh Limited, a private airline, is yet to pay Tk 37.92 crore to Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh for using the domestic airports, said CAAB officials.
The airline is using all the country’s airports and taking all types of facilities without paying its outstanding dues to the CAAB, they said.CAAB officials said that all private airlines that are in operation have cleared all their dues to CAAB except the United Airways.
According to the 33rd meeting of the public accounts committee of the Parliament, United Airways has not paid Tk 27.39 crore till April.
The meeting was told CAAB faces acute problems to maintain the airports because of lack of fund.
Out of the Tk 27.39 crore due, Tk 26.51 crore is for aeronautical and Tk 87.15 lakh for non-aeronautical fees. The committee ordered the United to pay its outstanding fees to CAAB.
But according to CAAB officials, the dues have increased to around Tk 37.92 crore till June 15.
United Airways assistant general manager of public relations division Md Kamrul Islam, however, told New Age on Thursday that they had paid CAAB Tk 1.5 crore in the last two days.
He claimed that CAAB officials had given ‘wrong information’ as the total amount of dues was around Tk 27.39 crore, not Tk 37.92 crore.
He said, ‘We have more aircraft than any other private airlines and the aircraft are bigger than those. For this reason, the dues are pending’.
‘But we are positive and will pay the dues shortly,’ he added.
All airlines pay two kinds of fees to the civil aviation authority —aeronautical fees for landing and taking off and non-aeronautical fees for accessing hangar and parking facilities.
Moreover, airliners have to pay the fees of aircraft safety and security, departure and arrival lounges for passengers and counter fees. The fees of departure and arrival lounges for passengers and counter fees are always fixed but the aeronautical fees depend on the size and weight of the aircraft.
CAAB is conducting the maintenance, safety and security and development of the airports with the aeronautical and non-aeronautical fees that they received from the airlines.
The United uses DASH-8 and ATR-72, 212 for its flights on domestic routes. It has to pay Tk 1,500 for each landing of DASH-8 and around Tk 2,500 for ATR-72, 212.
CAAB officials said that the amount of fees is scanty compared with the income of the airlines. The civil aviation authorities have repeatedly sent letters to the United and had meetings with them regarding the payment of dues.
CAAB is going to take a firm stand against United if it would not pay the dues, they added.
The dues are still unpaid for using Shahjalal, Shah Amanat, Osmani, Cox’s Bazar, Jessore, Syedpur, Shah Makhdum and Barisal airports.
-With New Age input
