Regent Airways completes one year

FE Report Regent Airways, the country's youngest private carrier, has successfully completed its first year of operation, pinning hope on spreading its wings beyond the border. The airline, a venture of Chittagong-based conglomerate Habib Group, started its operations with its own fleet of the two 50-seater Canadian-built Dash-8-Q 300 aircraft reputed for its exceptional reliability. "During the first year, Regent Airways has operated nearly 5,500 flights carrying more than 0.22 million passengers by operating return flights on domestic route of Dhaka-Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Jessore and Sylhet," chief executive officer of Regent Airways Imran Asif said at a press briefing. "On-time performance of the airline stood at over 95 per cent for all flights operated throughout the year - a feat, which still remains unsurpassed in the local aviation industry and also helped it to gain solid confidence of air travelers," Mr. Asif said. Managing director of Regent Airways Mashruf Habib said, "We have successfully completed one year operation and achieved the highest customers satisfaction. So, we will fulfill the requirements needed to spread the wings beyond the border." He said Regent Airways is now ready to carry passengers to foreign destinations. He hoped the civil aviation authority will think positively about Regent Airways and give permission to operate international flight taking its one-year operational excellence into account. Regent Airways was the first airline in Bangladesh to have the Safety Management System Manual (SMSM) approved by the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh, which is a testimony to the airline's commitment to safety and operational excellence, said Mr. Habib.