Italian company ATI is playing hide and seek

A 777 aircraft of Bangladesh Airlines was sent to Rome International Airport in Italy on September 29 to conduct a D-check (maintenance check) of the aircraft. An experienced engineer of the aircraft has arrived in Italy to see the process firsthand. However, he is not being allowed to enter the hangar at Rome Airport. Another 10 engineers and technicians of Biman Bangladesh Airlines are not able to go to Italy to supervise the work of the Italian company. Those concerned allege that the Italian company is playing hide and seek with the D-check.
There is an obligation to conduct a D-check once every 10 years. This is the biggest maintenance check of an aircraft. In a D-check, the aircraft is completely disassembled, inspected, repaired and replaced if necessary. A D-check is also called a ‘Heavy Maintenance Visit’ or HMV. It is a very complex and expensive process. Since Bangladesh does not have such high-quality maintenance facilities, this work is usually done abroad. It costs at least 70 crore taka to conduct a D-check once.
Italy’s ATI Technology has been tasked with de-checking Biman’s 777 aircraft. They got the order through an international tender. According to the rules, 10 experienced engineers and technicians from Bangladesh Biman are supposed to go to Italy to supervise the entire work process. As part of this, Biman’s engineer Ruhul Quddus has already gone to Italy. He is staying at a hotel in Rome.
However, he is not being allowed to enter the airport hangar. The contractor ATI Technology is supposed to provide a security clearance or security pass to go there. But since the engineer cannot provide this pass, he is not able to supervise the maintenance work. Meanwhile, since Ruhul Quddus does not get a security pass, 10 more experienced engineers and technicians from Biman are not able to go to Rome even after getting a visa.
A senior official of Bangladesh Biman said on condition of anonymity that Italian contractor ATI Technology informed Biman in an email message that about 30 percent of the work on the aircraft has already been completed. The daily activities are being documented and sent to the airline authorities. They claim, ‘All work is being done as per international standards and there is no break.’
However, according to those concerned, the work being done in the absence of the Bangladeshi delegation is not being done as per the agreement and protocol. Both sides are now in touch on the matter. It is learnt that Bangladesh will have to pay about 7 million US dollars for this D-check.
Aviation related people say that recently, state-owned Biman Bangladesh Airlines has completely completed the ‘D-check’ of a Biman Bangladesh Boeing-737 model aircraft (S-2 AFM) on its own. At that time, Biman officials claimed that this would create skilled manpower and save crores of taka. Despite making such an announcement, sending their aircraft abroad for D-checking has raised questions about their skills and qualifications.
Bosra Islam, General Manager of the Public Relations Department of the airline, said that Biman has different types of aircraft. Biman is capable of D-checking 737 aircraft. But to D-check 777 aircraft, one has to resort to abroad. He said Biman’s 777 aircraft were sent to Italy last month for de-checking. A Biman delegation was supposed to go there for this work, but they could not go because they did not pass security. If they pass in a day or two, they will go.