Badrul Ahsan Biman Bangladesh Airlines is expected to resume its Dhaka-Yangon flight from next month. It aims to rapidly expand its network to many other destinations across the globe, Managing Director (MD) of Biman Kevin Steele said. Following an agreement signed between Bangladesh and Myanmar recently, the national flag carrier is going to resume its operation on the route, he added. Earlier on October 2006, Biman suspended its operation on the route due to shortage of passengers and aircraft. According to the Biman MD, the carrier will operate flights on Dhaka-Yangon route with two turbo-prop aircraft that have already been taken on lease. Besides, Biman has recently planned to operate flights to connect several Indian cities, up from two at present, and increase numbers of flights to Kolkata in a few months. Biman plans to start two flights daily to and from Kolkata by the end of this month instead of five flights a week now in operation. The national airline, which now operates on only Dhaka-Kolkata and Dhaka-Delhi routes, is also considering expanding flight frequencies to the Indian capital. It is planning to launch flight operations to Chennai, Bangalore and Mumbai within next one and half years. The Biman MD and Chief Executive Officer said cities like Guwahati and Bhubaneshwar have also place in its newly planned network, to be operated by turbo-prop aircraft. Besides, Biman is also considering including underserved markets like Iraq and Afghanistan with stop-over in India. "After warm-up of relations between Myanmar and many countries, the two-way trade and business between Dhaka and Yangon has increased significantly prompting the need for air connections," the Biman MD told the FE. "If everything goes accordingly, then the national flag carrier is expected to introduce itself to new destinations like Iraq and Afghanistan along with increasing the number of existing flights to India, and introducing new flights to some other prospective countries," he added. Moreover, Biman has also plan to resume domestic flights from next month (November) following the lease of two cost-effective turbo-prop planes. The Biman MD said the authorities were expecting to get the aircraft by this month. Except Chittagong and Sylhet, where Biman's international flights operate, the national flag carrier has suspended flights on all domestic routes in September 2012. "The government has reduced aeronautical charges on domestic routes to promote operation of flights," another Biman official said. However, business leaders have hailed Biman's bid to resume flight operation with Yangon, and the plan to raise and launch flights on some other routes. "It is an appreciable initiative of Biman to resume flight operation with Yangon as the country has emerged as a potential destination for bilateral trade and business," Md Sabur Khan, president of Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industries (DCCI) told the FE. "Only due to absence of air-connections with Yangon, many businessmen have been facing difficulties in the field of physical movement. The initiative would benefit both the countries," he added. Biman, which has an eight-aircraft fleet, is in a major expansion phase with plan to enhance the number to 18 aircraft in the next two years. Biman will have 12 planes by March, 2014.
Biman's Dhaka-Yangon flight resumes from next month
FE Team | Published: October 09, 2013 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00
Share if you like