Biman draws up air route network expansion plan

Biman Bangladesh Airlines wants to expand its air route network and increase flight frequency on both domestic and international routes by 2021.

It submitted a report on its three-year route expansion and flight frequency enhancement plan to the parliamentary standing committee on civil aviation and tourism at its 39th meeting held on September 03.

The meeting was informed that Biman could successfully expand its international route network in future, provided they can procure wide-body aircraft.

It was found from the working paper of the meeting that the national flag carrier now operates flights on seven domestic and 15 international routes with 14 aircraft (before addition of Dreamliner 787).

Biman has a 60-flight frequency on domestic routes in 2018 and wants to increase it to 74 by 2019, 88 by 2020 and 88 by 2021.

On the other hand, Biman has a 90-flight frequency on international routes in 2018 and wants to increase it to 111 by 2019, 117 by 2020 and 123 by 2021.

The Biman authority informed the committee that there are four 777-300 ER and four 737-800 aircraft in the present fleet of their own. Two Dash-8, two 777-300 ER, and three 777-200 ER aircraft have been collected under dry and ACMI (aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance) lease.

But a Biman official said there are four 777-300 ER, four 737-800, three Dash-8, and four 777-300 aircraft brought under lease agreement, one 777-200 ER brought under lease and one Dreamliner 787.

Five more aircraft including three Dreamliners, two 737s and one Dash-8 will be added to the fleet by the end of this year and 2019.

However, four wide-body aircraft brought under short-term wet lease for Hajj season from Malaysia will be sent back by October.

Another wide-body aircraft brought under short-term wet lease from Angola will be sent back this month, Biman sources said.

Biman has now six flights a week to Abu Dhabi which will be increased up to seven by 2020 and eight by 2021.

Weekly frequency of flights to Bangkok will be increased to 10 by 2021 from seven. For Kolkata it will rise to 17 from 14, for Doha it will remain the same (three flights weekly). For Dammam it will rise to five from three, Dubai nine from seven, Jeddah nine from seven, Kathmandu nine from seven, Kuala Lumpur 14 from seven, Kuwait four from three, London will remain the same (four flights weekly), Muscat 10 from six, Riyadh seven from six, Singapore 11 from seven and Yangon same frequency (three flights a week).

Biman has a plan to open and reopen eight international routes by 2021. These are Guangzhou, Sri Lanka, Male, Medinah, Delhi, Hong Kong, Rome and Manchester-New York -- three flights each upon availability of wide-body aircraft.

When asked about his comment on whether Biman has an adequate number of wide-body aircraft or not, its general manager (public relations) Shakil Meraj said it is difficult to comment specifically as some wide-body aircraft will be sent back this year.

He also said five aircraft including two Dreamliners, two 737-800s and one Dash-8 will be added to the fleet in 2018. Two more Dreamliners will be added by 2019.

"We will get five aircraft while we are hopeful to open three new routes early next year," said Mr Shakil.

But criticism is rife about the efficiency of or accountability of the present management over preparing an effective business plan to make the organisation profitable.

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