CAAB revokes licences of Biman pilots Sadia, Mehedi over fake certificates

The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) has recently revoked the Private Pilot License (PPL) and Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) of Biman Bangladesh Airlines' first officer Sadia Ahmed over fraudulence in her academic certificate and other documents.

Besides, the CPL of first officer Al-Mehedi Islam has also been revoked on the same grounds following an investigation, the CAAB said in a notice issued on 21 December 2023.

Mehedi has also been fined Tk10 lakh by the civil aviation regulatory authority, according to the notice signed by Air Commodore Shah Kawsar Ahmed Choudhury, member, Flight Standards and Regulations, CAAB.

Legal action is under process against Sadia Ahmed, the CAAB also said.

The CAAB has also called on all airline operators and organisations to take necessary measures to verify the academic certificates before submitting the application for issuance of licence.

Its decision comes following media reports in 2023 on the anomalies in pilot recruitment.

Sadia was suspended from Biman following the publication of the report.

According to media reports, Sadia had submitted a forged educational certificate, claiming that she was a student of the science group during her higher secondary school exams.

However, Dhaka Board of Education data shows that she was a student of humanities, passing in second division from Shaheed Anwar Girls' College in Bangla, English, civics, psychology, and home economics.

On the other hand, Al Mehdi Islam, who was selected as the first officer, submitted a fake Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL) certificate.