Bangladesh seeks EU withdrawal of HRCM status

Bangladesh is seeking the withdrawal of the European Union’s High Risk Cargo and Mail (HRCM) status, saying it has increased the time and cost of cargo handling since 2017.

Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat raised the issue during a meeting with British High Commissioner Sarah Cooke at his Secretariat office in Dhaka today.

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The minister said the government has taken steps to have the status withdrawn, including installing Explosive Detection Systems (EDS) at airports as required.

He said Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport and Sylhet Osmani International Airport received satisfactory ratings in a recently completed audit.

“The government therefore wants the European Union to take steps to withdraw the HRCM status,” he said, according to a ministry press release.

The minister also said Biman Bangladesh Airlines is facing an aircraft shortage and steps are being taken to add planes to its fleet urgently.

He said the aircraft procurement process would maintain transparency and accountability and would be based on recommendations from the High-Level Negotiation Committee.

The meeting also discussed the Airbus acquisition process as part of Biman’s modernisation, aviation security and bilateral cooperation.

Cooke said UK investors were interested in Bangladesh’s hospitality sector and that the UK was ready to cooperate with Bangladesh in its efforts to establish an aviation hub.

They further discussed Menzies Aviation’s interest in providing ground-handling services to Biman at the third terminal, while also focusing on further strengthening bilateral relations between Bangladesh and the UK.