Biman Bangladesh Airlines' move to tap a share of the booming domestic air traffic by adding a pair of Dash 8-Q400s to its fleet suffers a setback due to the ongoing political turmoil in the country, reports UNB.
According to Biman sources, the supplier of the two Dash 8-Q400s Egyptian Smart Aviation remained reluctant about visiting Bangladesh due to the volatile political situation here.
"We're ready, the draft of the agreement is fully prepared, and we're just waiting for them," Khan Mosharraf Hossain, general manager (public relations) of Biman told UNB.
The spokesperson for the national flag carrier said Biman authorities have invited them to visit Bangladesh to sign the deal. "But, they're in no mood to be here…taking their time."
Biman has been negotiating with Egyptian Smart Aviation for the last couple of months to have two Dash 8-Q400s for five years under dry lease, as it has no small aircraft to carry passengers on domestic routes.
A dry lease is an arrangement whereby an aircraft financing entity (lessor) provides an aircraft without insurance, crew, ground staff, supporting equipment and maintenance.
The representatives of the Smart Aviation had been in Dhaka in December last to have the final negotiation.
After the agreement, it will need at least four weeks to complete the procedures of import permit, customs clearance and Civil Aviation Authority, Bangladesh (Caab) inspection.
After this signing, there will be side letter signing for cockpit and cabin crew training.
This was Biman's seventh attempt to collect turboprop aircraft for resuming flights on its domestic routes along with some other regional ones.
Meanwhile, Biman has invited a proposal for having Component Support or Power-by-Hour Support for providing component support program for operating two DHC-8-Q402 (Dash8-Q400) aircraft.
Biman will also use the Dash 8-Q400s aircraft to operate on two regional routes-one to Yangon and another to Kolkata.
At present, four private local airlines-United, Regent, Novoair and US-Bangla-fly mainly on four domestic routes from Dhaka to Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Sylhet and Jessore. The Dhaka-Chittagong route draws the highest volume of traffic followed by Dhaka-Jessore one.
Currently, around 50,000 passengers fly on the domestic routes a month where Dhaka-Chittagong route carry almost 70 percent.
According to data from CAAB some 648,019 people travelled nationally by air in the last year.
Private airliners-United Airlines, Novo Air, Regent Airways and US-Bangla Airlines-are operating increased flights on domestic routes. Another new player, Epic Airways Ltd, aims to begin flights on domestic routes by the end of 2014.
Dogged by losses and shortage of aircraft, national flag carrier Biman suspended its domestic flights on four among seven routes in 2007.
Later, in 2012, it resumed domestic flights on a limited number of routes, including Dhaka-Chittagong-Dhaka and Dhaka-Sylhet-Dhaka routes with connecting flights.
Biman is now operating about 30 flights a week on its domestic routes with large aircraft through its connecting flights in operation on international routes. It now operates 11 flights on Dhaka-Chittagong, 14 flights on Chittagong-Dhaka and 5-7 flights on Sylhet-Dhaka routes a week.
On the other hand, the government has already taken steps to renovate the country's five airports in Rajshahi, Saidpur, Cox's Bazar, Jessore and Barisal.
