New Biman MD vows to check ticket mismanagement

Newly-appointed Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Biman Bangladesh Airlines Zahidul Islam Bhuiyan on Sunday vowed to deal with ticket mismanagement in the national flag carrier.
"The Biman Bangladesh Airlines aims to be 100 per cent free from the problem of ticket unavailability online despite empty seats on its flights," he said.
Mr Bhuiyan made the view during his first media interaction since his taking office a month ago at the Biman's headquarters, Balaka, in the capital.

The CEO reiterated that the national flag carrier is determined to eliminate the syndicate responsible for making tickets unavailable online despite empty seats on the flights.
"We want to resolve the ticketing issues completely to prevent future complications. We've already warned the travel agencies," he noted.
Recently, the Biman sent a letter to all passenger service agents (PSAs), expressing concern over agents undercutting or overpricing tickets through their own web portals.
The state-owned airlines urged all agents to adhere to its policies, warning that failure to comply could result in the termination of business relationships.
The new CEO said the Biman has a plan to expand its fleet to 47 aircraft by 2034.
On the issue of its 10-year fleet plan, he said, "The Biman will have a fleet of 47 aircraft by 2034. In the meantime, six aircraft from existing 21 will be phased out. So, we need to add 32 new aircraft over the next decade to achieve our expansion plan."
The CEO explained that the airline will either purchase or lease the new aircraft to meet its target and support the national flag carrier's route expansion strategy over the next 10 years.
Regarding the purchase of aircraft from Airbus and Boeing, he said, "Discussions with Airbus have been continuing, and a proposal from Boeing is also on the table. We will move forward with Boeing's proposal after taking the Airbus' proposal into a shape."
"Given our high demands, it is likely that a single company will not suffice," he added.
Replying to a query, Mr Bhuiyan said that in the last financial year, the Biman carried over 3.2 million passengers with 21 aircraft and during this period the state-owned company achieved a milestone of Tk 100 billion revenue.
Regarding the Biman's financial performance, he projected earnings of Tk 12 billion from cargo alone in the current fiscal year. "Overall, the Biman will continue to see profits in the future."
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