Authorities of the now-defunct United Airways today reiterated their commitment to revive the airline.

The private airline made the commitment at its 17th annual general meeting for the year 2021-22.

Besides, six other AGMs pending since 2016 were also held to meet the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission and Joint Stock Company regulations.

"It's a new and major development. In the AGM, we have decided to revive the airline and holding AGM was part of this initiative," Kazi Wahidul Alam, chairman of the new board of independent directors of United Airways, told The Daily Star.

"We have completed all compliances. Now we need the government's assistance as the airline owes huge amount of money to Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (Caab). It would not be possible to revive the airline without waiving of the debt," he added.

Wahidul, also an aviation expert and editor of the Weekly Monitor, said the current board of independent directors reiterated its commitment to revive the airline's operations as soon as possible while complying with the existing rules and regulations of the country.

The board informed the shareholders of their plan to revive the airline within the next three years, initially with cargo operations and then with passengers flights, said Wahidul, who presided over the AGM.

Board of directors Prof M Sadiqul Islam, Prof Md Maksudur Rahman Sarker, Prof Md Badruzzaman Bhuiyan, Mohammed Shah Newaz, Syed Ershad Ahmed, and Managing Director ATM Nazrul Islam were present at the meeting.

Established in 2005, the company was listed on the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) in 2010.

In February 2016, it ceased flight operations without any announcement amid mounting losses due to massive irregularities and corruption by its directors.