UNB, Dhaka :
Biman Bangladesh Airlines is unlikely to be able to resume flights on its domestic routes by this year as it has so far failed to procure two turboprop aircraft as per its plan.
According to a highly placed source at Biman, the national flag carrier has selected Egyptian Smart Aviation for delivering the two aircraft, and the procurement committee is yet to inspect the aircraft.
“The procurement committee is likely to visit Egypt in the coming weeks to inspect the aircraft,” the source told UNB adding that Biman is taking the two planes on dry lease basis for five years.
“Even if everything goes well, the resumption of domestic flights by Biman won’t be possible before the next year,” the source said.
Earlier, on August 25, the Biman authorities at a meeting with the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Civil Aviation and Tourism said they would be able to resume flights on domestic routes within the next two months (Oct 25).
“They (Biman officials) have assured us that flights on all domestic routes would resume in the next two months. Tenders have already been floated in this regard,” Col (retd) Faruk Khan, the standing committee chairman, had told reporters after that meeting.
As the number of air passengers is growing, private airliners-United Airlines, Novo Air, Regent Airways and US-Bangla Airlines-are operating increased flights on domestic routes.
Dogged by losses and shortage of aircraft, the national flag carrier 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.
According to sources, the government has already taken steps to renovate the country’s five airports in Rajshahi, Saidpur, Cox’s Bazar, Jessore and Barisal.
Earlier, Biman had received nine proposals following its invitation of proposal or offer for the procurement of two turboprop aircraft on five years’ ‘dry lease’ or ‘lease-purchase’ basis from airlines, operators, aircraft owners, manufacturers, leasing companies having aircraft of their own or legally authorised agents of the owners of aircraft.
This was Biman’s seventh attempt to procure turboprop aircraft for resuming flights on its domestic routes along with some other regional ones. Currently, it has no small aircraft to carry passengers on domestic routes.
According to the tender floated by Biman on its website, the airliner fixed the third week of October as the tentative time for the aircraft induction.
Asked why it takes so many drives to add turboprops to the Biman fleet, a Biman official who is involved in the process said, “We have to start operating flights on domestic routes as the government has instructed us to do so soon. In the last six times, we got only two responsive offers.”
Attributing the abortive drives to lengthy government procedure, the Biman official said, “When we asked the bidders that we want to inspect the aircraft, they either said those had already been sold off or leased out. And we had nothing to do then.”
