A Biman Bangladesh Airlines McDonnell Douglas DC-10 en route to New York Kennedy airport was forced to divert to Montreal on 14 May after the US Federal Aviation Administration refused it entry into US airspace.
The incident, which is being called a “mistake” by at least one US State Department official, has prompted the Bangladeshi carrier to consider legal action against US authorities to recoup its losses.
According to reports from Bangladesh, the FAA barred Biman’s scheduled Dhaka flight from landing at Kennedy for unspecified reasons. It diverted to Montreal, where Canadian authorities inspected the DC-10, but failed to find any flaws.
Biman believes the incident damaged its image, put the lives of the crew and 257 passengers at risk, and caused financial losses. The FAA was unavailable for comment.
Separately, the cash-strapped carrier reportedly plans to suspend unprofitable long-haul services to parts of Asia, Europe and the USA.
Last month Biman changed the routeing and cut the frequency of its Kennedy service. The new routing is Dhaka-Dubai-Manchester-New York-Manchester-Dhaka; the previous European stop was in Brussels.
Source: Flight International
