Published: 12:11 AM, 24 May 2026
Sheikh Bashir Uddin breaches rules to own helicopter company
Immediate past interim government's former Civil Aviation and Tourism Adviser Sheikh Bashir Uddin has been accused of violating regulations by becoming the owner of a commercial helicopter transport company. Allegations claim that he took control of Beximco Aviation and is operating it under the name "Akij Bashir Aviation."
He is also accused of occupying the company's hangar before it was officially allocated to the new company, reports Star News.
The same person who surrendered the Air Operator Certificate (AOC) of one company reportedly applied for a new AOC in the name of another company just two weeks later.
These allegations have emerged in connection with the transformation of Beximco Aviation into Akij Bashir Aviation.
At the center of the controversy is Captain Gulzar Hossain, the former CEO of Beximco Aviation and current CEO of Akij Bashir Aviation.
According to the allegations, while being involved in the process of shutting down one company, he applied for similar approvals on behalf of another company within a very short period.
Following the July uprising and the resulting political changes in the country, several companies owned by Salman F Rahman came under pressure.
As part of that development, Beximco Aviation - one of the country's leading helicopter service providers - also faced pressure. CEO Captain Gulzar Hossain sent a letter to the Civil Aviation Authority seeking closure of the company. However, he claims that the decision was made by the owners.
Regarding the matter, Captain Gulzar Hossain, then Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Beximco Aviation, said:
"It is embarrassing to be asked these questions about Beximco at this stage. Of course, it was a decision of the owners. As an employee, I do not have the authority to make such decisions on my own."
However, two Beximco Aviation pilots provided different accounts.
Captain Zahidur Rahman, then Director of Flight Operations (DFO) at Beximco Aviation, said:
"Suddenly, around February, a decision was made to discontinue the company's AOC, and this decision came from the CEO himself."
He further said:
"They were carrying out activities related to forming a company for Akij Bashir."
Captain Mahbub Alam, then COO of Beximco Aviation, said:
"We were being pressured to resign from there."
He added:
"If Beximco Aviation was shut down, Akij Bashir would quickly obtain the AOC. Since he was an adviser, it would be very easy for him to get the approval."
It is reported that on December 30, 2024, CEO Captain Gulzar Hossain conducted a VIP flight without informing the Director of Flight Operations, violating regulations. The passenger on that flight was Sheikh Bashir Uddin, who was then Commerce Adviser and later became Aviation Adviser.
Regarding the matter, Captain Zahidur Rahman said:
"He flew to Rajshahi, but I was not informed beforehand."
After that flight, events reportedly took a different turn. Beximco Aviation was shut down. February 27, 2025, was the company's last working day. On March 4, the CEO himself applied to surrender Beximco Aviation's Air Operator Certificate and hangar. Within two weeks, he again applied for a No Objection Certificate (NOC) on behalf of Akij Bashir Aviation.
Although Beximco Aviation's hangar allocation remained valid until June 2, 2025, by March the hangar had reportedly become the unofficial office of Akij Bashir Aviation. However, the hangar was officially allocated to the new company three months later.
The former COO of Beximco Aviation said:
"Just one or two days after our final office day, we saw Akij Bashir operating from the exact same office space."
Civil Aviation authorities reportedly were not aware that Akij Bashir had moved into the Beximco Aviation hangar three months before official allocation. Because the same CEO was managing both companies, the matter was allegedly concealed strategically.
However, Sheikh Bashir Uddin, Managing Director of Akij Bashir Group, denied the allegations.
He said: "The hangar currently allocated to us was once under Beximco Aviation. Whatever disputes happened regarding it are neither my concern nor something I know about. And Beximco's helicopters are not inside my hangar."
Following Sheikh Bashir Uddin's statement, visits were made to the helicopter zone at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, where multiple hangars belonging to different companies were observed.
Inspection revealed that the hangar previously known as Beximco Aviation's had its nameplate removed. Currently, three helicopters are kept there.
Among the three helicopters in the hangar, only one is currently operational, and it is reportedly owned by former Civil Aviation Adviser Sheikh Bashir Uddin. Beside it are two more helicopters - a Robinson R-66 (S2-FR) and a Bell-430 (S2-SFR). Verification of the registration numbers showed that these two helicopters belong to Beximco Aviation.
During a visit to Beximco Aviation's hangar, it was seen that alongside two helicopters belonging to the company, another helicopter was also parked there. However, the hangar is no longer operating under the identity of Beximco Aviation; it is now being used as Akij Bashir Aviation's hangar.
Additionally, while serving as Civil Aviation Adviser, Sheikh Bashir Uddin also became chairman of Biman, leading to widespread criticism of the interim government at the time. He has also been accused of exerting influence over the Civil Aviation Authority - an institution under his supervision - to obtain a helicopter business license.
