Biman Bangladesh Airlines is going to launch duty-free service onboard of its aircraft on all international routes in a bid to improve its customer service standard and provide its passengers with sky shopping facilities, officials of the airlines said. The national flag carrier has already obtained approval from the commerce ministry and the National Board of Revenue in this connection, they said.
‘The duty-free in-flight shopping is due to start on March 1,’ Biman managing director Kevin John Steele told New Age on Sunday.
He said that the service would be operated on all international routes of Biman.
Biman is going to introduce the in-flight shopping as such facility is common among all reputed international airlines, the officials said.
They said prime minister Sheikh Hasina had repeatedly expressed her resentment over the service quality of the airline including absence of the sky shopping facility.
Biman is going to operate the service to provide its customers with quality in-flight duty-free shopping experiences and increase its revenue earnings eyeing to make the airlines profitable, they said.
Steele, also chief executive officer of Biman, said a very large variety of products under different categories including perfume, cigarettes, alcohol, cosmetics, confectionary items, watches, toys, electronic and gift items would be sold onboard of Biman’s aircraft.
Biman has already prepared a 30-page brochure listing the name of products to be available for the sky shopping, he said.
The proposed shops will also sell different kinds of souvenir, jewellery and fashion item, the Biman officials said.
The shops will also promote Bangladesh’s culture and heritage through selling local handicraft and traditional products, they said.
They said Biman had already signed an agreement with Hong Kong-based King Power Traveller for managing duty-free operation onboard of Biman’s aircraft on the basis of commission sharing.
KPT will provide comprehensive in-flight duty-free sales operations and will also provide the cabin crew with training to enhance their knowledge about products and selling skills, they said.
They hoped that introduction of the sky shopping would be of world class and would attract passengers, particularly of business class, to choose the carrier for travelling.
Officials of the revenue board said that they had already approved the proposal of Biman for importing products for the duty-free sky shopping.
According to the general conditions of NBR, a duty-free shop is allowed to import products and pay its price later by selling those products with 30 per cent value addition at shops.
Payment of price of products must be at foreign currencies, the NBR officials said.
-With New Age input
