In a bizarre turn of events, a female cabin crew member of Biman Bangladesh Airline has recently been caught smoking while in uniform during her duty at a flight.
However, Biman Managing Director and CEO Shafiul Azim claimed that it was a minor issue and they would take care of the matter.
An official at Biman Administration and HR, requesting anonymity, said the cabin crew member had been removed from duty and that action would be taken against her after an investigation.
Cabin crew member Marian Adhikary Mery is seen smoking a cigarette and chatting with her colleagues in a video clip obtained by reporters.
The incident took place in the last week of April.
According to an official at Biman Flight Operations, smoking is strictly prohibited on flights, including in lavatories, which also have smoke detectors.
The official called the violation of flight safety regulations surprising.
Biman issued Mery a show-cause notice on Sunday, giving her 96 hours to give an explanation and warning that it would take action according to its rules if the explanation was not satisfactory.
“Your actions are unprofessional and violate Biman rules," the Biman notice says.
“It` has been for your kind information that the Biman Bangladesh Airlines management has come to know that you have taken a cigarette or something like cigarette inflight while in uniform. Such activity amounts to being unprofessional. It is also against the Biman regulations,” reads the show-cause letter.
In a 2020 notice, the airlines reminded all concerned that Biman is a smoking free organization.
”Especially, inflight smoking is internationally banned. Such activities are against the section 7 of Smoking and Tobacco (Control) Act of 2005,” stated the notice asking everyone to help keep Biman non-smoking.
However, none was seen punished for inflight smoking so far by the Biman authorities, aviation insiders say. In the case of Mary, the show-cause issued was seemed “very soft” and the safety issue was not included in the letter, said an official.
“Neither any investigation was launched into the incident nor was she grounded for breaching the safety regulation for reason unknown,” said the official preferring not to be named.
According to the Cabin Operation and Safety Manual of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, smoking is strictly prohibited in any phase of flight while on duty.
“Smoking in a public place when standing up and /or at any other time while in uniform is prohibited,” says the Biman’s Regulation and Standard Operating Procedure revised in August 2019.
Considering the safety and health against the backdrop of many reported air crashes linked to smoking, a total ban on inflight smoking was internationally imposed in 2017 after gradual restrictions since 1971 when advocacy groups vigorously campaigned for smoking-free air travel.
