Biman Bangladesh Airlines is unable to operate flights to potentially profitable international destinations due to aircraft shortages, its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr Md Shafiqur Rahman has told The Financial Express.
This is depriving the country's largest airline, as well as the national flag carrier, of a huge amount of potential revenue, he said.
However, he said some aircraft would be added to the fleet on lease in a few months to operate flights to new destinations.
"We cannot expand our routes due to aircraft shortages. We are trying to get some aircraft on a long-term lease. The planes will be purchased eventually," said Rahman.
Biman now operates flights to 30 domestic and international destinations with 21 aircraft.
In the face of a surge in international air travels and competition with foreign airlines, Biman in March last year made a decade-long ambitious plan that involved purchasing at least 26 new aircraft and route expansion.
According to the plan, Biman's fleet would expand from 21 to 47 aircraft by 2034, marking a 123.81 per cent growth. Adding at least eight aircraft with 300 seats, six with 270, six with 160, four with 70, and one with 400 was part of the plan.
The Biman administration at the time decided to implement the plan gradually. However, the new Biman CEO, who assumed office after the July-August uprising last year, said they are yet to decide whether implementation would continue as per the original plan or it would be revised.
It is not possible to purchase any aircraft right now because of the long manufacturing and delivery period. If ordered now, aircraft may not be delivered before 2035. That is why Biman has to get aircraft on lease first if it wants to expand its fleet, explained Rahman.
Malé, Jakarta, Colombo, and Sydney are the next possible profitable destinations for Biman, said Boshra Islam, general manager (public relations) of the organisation.
Biman operates one flight to Jeddah every day. However, the authorities feel the need to operate another flight to this Middle Eastern destination as it seems profitable.
In the meantime, Biman has started the process to get three aircraft on lease, two with 200 seats and one with 300. It may be finished before the next Hajj season.
Biman has not yet finalised which company it will get the aircraft from on lease. The board will discuss the matter in more detail and a decision will then be made, said Rahman.
A decision to purchase aircraft from Airbus was made in May last year amid visible competition between the European company and the American giant Boeing, which was seen by some as a duel for the control of Bangladesh's airspace.
Sixteen of Biman's current 21 aircraft were made by Boeing. While a mixed fleet increases costs, the diversity also provides operational advantages and security against potential disruptions if one manufacturer faces difficulties.
Biman and US-Bangla Airlines are currently operating international flights from Bangladesh.
Industry insiders said the two airlines hold only 18-20 per cent share of Bangladesh's aviation market, while foreign airlines account for the remaining 80 per cent.
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