Biman accident at Dubai: Financial loss 'will run into millions'

Dubai: The Biman Bangladesh Airlines accident that caused Dubai International Airport to close for eight hours yesterday will exact a heavy toll from airlines following dozens of cancelled and diverted flights.
A total of 36 outgoing flights were cancelled and another 35 inbound flights were diverted after authorities shut down the airport pending an investigation into Biman flight BG006, which reportedly suffered a front wheel problem during its failed takeoff.
While there are no clear estimates of the financial impact resulting from the disruptions, airlines will be affected from the loss of revenue from the cancelled flights. And with the diverted flights, airlines will also bear the costs involved with transporting passengers by bus or plane back to Dubai.
The incoming flights were rerouted to land in airports in Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah. A handful of flights were forced to land even further away as Muscat, Kuwait and Shiraz, Iran.
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Jet skid closes Dubai airport
Dubai: Some 236 passengers aboard a
Bangladeshi airliner had a miraculous escape
when their aircraft skidded on the runway at
Dubai International Airport (DIA) in the early
hours yesterday.Dubai civil aviation authorities
said 27 people were slightly injured in the
6.30am (0230 GMT) accident, which happened
during the takeoff. The plane was quickly
evacuated after the accident, a Department of
Civil Aviation (DCA) statement said. The Biman
Bangladesh Airlines Flight BG 006 was en
route to Dhaka from London, and had made
a one-and-a-half-hour stopover in Dubai.
Dubai civil aviation authorities are investigating
into the incident.When contacted, Ali Ahsan,
Biman Bangladesh Airline's Regional
Manager for Dubai and Northern Emirates,
told Khaleej Times they could not confirm the
exact cause of the snag at the moment.
'The case is still under investigation, but based
on the information that I have gathered from the
cabin crew, the captain had to abort the take-off
within minutes after he heard a sound at the
front fuselage. The aircraft had lost a front
wheel,' he disclosed.
13/03/07 Criselda E. Diala/Khaleej Times,
United Arab Emirates
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As the largest carrier operating out of Dubai airport, Emirates suffered the greatest impact. Over 20 flights were cancelled, more than 10 were diverted to other UAE airports - with one flight landing in Kuwait, and an additional 24 flights experienced long delays.
Alitalia, Air France, Air India, Iran Air, Cathay Pacific, Malaysian Airlines and Pakistan International Airlines were other airlines sent scrambling when the airport was temporarily closed.
Richard Tollis, an aviation analyst at Ernst & Young in London, said airport closures pose great logistical challenges for airlines trying to return diverted aircraft to their intended destinations.
13/03/07 Ivan Gale/Gulf News, United Arab Emirates

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Categories: Foreign Mar 2007, Safety Mar 2007