United Airways (Dhaka) has indefinitely suspended operations starting September 24 after the resignation of its founder, managing director and chairman Tasbirul Ahmed Choudhury. According to a statement made by flight operations director M Elias to the Daily Star, flights had to be suspended as the new board of directors did not yet meet to resolve the carrier's cash crisis.
According to Elias, the company no longer has fuel or "other logistics necessary" to continue operations and the new management and board would not have taken any "visible step in the last three days to assure investors as well as the anxious employees that things are under control". Approximately 200 out of 1100 employees have reportedly asked to be released from the company following Choudhury's forced resignation.
United has been plagued by financial problems for several years and has recently come under increasing pressure from several start-ups entering the Bangladeshi market including NovoAir (VQ, Dhaka), Regent Airways (Dhaka) and US-Bangla Airlines (BS, Dhaka).
It currently operates a fleet of two A310-300s, five MD-83s, three ATR72-200s and one Dash 8-100 (although several aircraft have been inactive recently) offering domestic services from Dhaka to Barisal, Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Ishhurdi, Jessore, Rajshahi, Saidpur and Sylhet as well as international flights linking Chittagong and Dhaka with Doha Hamad International, Jeddah International, Karachi International, Kathmandu, Kolkata, Kuala Lumpur International, Muscat and Singapore Changi.
