To resume domestic flights with medium planes in Nov
Biman Bangladesh Airlines is going to take lease of at least four wide-body aircraft having minimum 450-seat each in early September for operating Hajj flights this year,
Biman managing director Kevin Steele said on Monday.
The national flag carrier is going to take lease of another two turbo-prop planes with 50-passenger capacity for five years for operating domestic flights by November.
At a press briefing at Balaka, Biman’s headquarters, Kevin said that two, out of the four aircraft, were being collecting for Hajj flights for this season while another two aircraft for operating regular international flights for five years as part of Biman’s expansion.
‘We will be ready to carry 65,000 Hajj pilgrims for this year and aircraft will be brought before the start of the Hajj season,’ he said.
Biman has already invited request for proposal for leasing two turbo-prop planes.
‘It will start domestic flights to Cox’s Bazar, Rajshahi, Jessore, Saidpur from November and within the next two months tickets for the flights on the routes will be available,’ Kevin, also chief executive officer of the airlines, said.
Biman has suspended five out of seven domestic flights in June last year due to aircraft shortage. Currently it operates domestic flights only to Chittagong and Sylhet.
He said that it would also operate morning and evening flights to Chittagong and Sylhet.
The national flag carrier has taken two-year strategy plan to make the Biman profitable by 2014-15, to double Biman fleet size to 16 aircraft and improve customer services and timekeeping in two years.
It has already invited proposals for dry lease of two Boeing (B777-200ER) aircraft for five years for operating international flights.
‘The number of aircraft may increase to four,’ Kevin said.
He said, ‘We will bring punctuality in Biman’s flights departure so that at least 80 per cent flights depart on time.’
Till May 25, 56.2 per cent flights departed on time, best result for over two years, as in May 2012, 44.5 per cent of flights departed on time, he said.
He also said that Biman was looking for a strategic partner and several joint ventures for improving quality of ground handling and other services.
‘We are looking for high quality airline industry partners to help us in improving service standard of Biman up to the world class,’ he said.
Biman will have to bring down its losses by halve in the next year along with spending for procuring equipments, increasing of service standard and reducing of cost to make it profitable by 2015, he said adding that the airlines incurred loss of $ 75 million in last fiscal year.
He informed that Biman would launch a new web site by July in order to collect public reactions and comments with a view to easing sufferings of the customers.
‘We have to make the company profitable at any cost,’ he said.
-With New Age input
