Friday, August 3rd, 2007Despite canceling flight on several routes, Biman Bangladesh Airlines is frequently failing to maintain its flight schedule as only four to five aircraft of its 11-member fleet can be kept operative a day. Schedule collapse in Biman flights to 18 international destinations cause untold sufferings to the passengers, eventually contributing to the loss of the organisation's market share.As an 'easy remedy' for schedule chaos, Biman cut its flight on eight international routes in last one year and recently reduced flight frequencies on five profitable routes to Riyadh, Jeddah, Kuwait, London and Rome, Biman officials said."When market shares of ...
(read more) Wednesday, July 25th, 2007Biman Bangladesh Airlines, a public limited company since Monday, is thinking about leasing a number of large aircraft in a bid to bring Biman out of the woods.The Biman's newly formed board of directors would hold a meeting soon and make decision in this regard, a Biman high official told The Daily Star yesterday."We are thinking about leasing new aircraft," the Biman official said, adding, "We are also thinking about buying aircraft through lease-to-purchase."Biman will increase frequency of flights on high-yielding routes, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director (MD) of Biman MA Momen told The Daily Star yesterday about ...
(read more) Tuesday, July 10th, 2007Biman Bangladesh Airlines' planes get frequently grounded for technical reasons due to its aging fleet which has only old generation aircraft aged between 17 to 29 years, except only two. Such grounding of aircraft is wreaking havoc on Biman's flight schedule chipping away at its market share.No other international airline uses such antiquated aircraft which end up incurring a very high operating cost, Biman insiders said. They also identified the high operating cost as one of the main reasons for the national flag carrier's turning into a losing concern.Usually reputed international airlines use only new aircraft for six to ...
(read more) Thursday, June 21st, 2007The number of retirement seeking Bangladesh Biman officials and employees far exceeded the airline's target as 2,140 persons responded to the Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) as of yesterday, the last day of applications for the programme.Authorities were still receiving applications from respondents working at the Biman stations outside Dhaka when this report was being filed at 9:30pm, Biman sources said.On June 5, the Biman offered the VRS in order to trim its staff to 3,400 from existing 4,800.The scheme is part of the government's plan to turn the national flag carrier into a public limited company (PLC) and ...
(read more) Wednesday, June 6th, 2007Biman Bangladesh Airlines yesterday offered its employees Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) as part of the government plan to turn the national flag carrier into a public limited company (PLC).Biman's workforce will be reduced to 3,400 by axing about 1,500 current employees through the VRS.Under the scheme, Biman has offered special packages to its employees whose service age exceeded at least five years.As part of the VRS, the Biman employees who are in service for at least 25 years or more will get 15 percent more on their total gratuity as monetary benefits while who are in service for ...
(read more) Thursday, April 26th, 2007The caretaker government has decided to turn Biman Bangladesh Airlines into a public limited company under a re-structuring plan to turn the huge loss incurring national airlines into a profitable organisation.The government's restructuring plan is likely to cut Biman's existing 6,838-strong manpower to half."The government is thinking about making the national airlines profitable by turning it into a public limited company. But the government will own hundred per cent share," said Communications and Civil Aviation Adviser MA Matin after a meeting yesterday.A high-powered committee headed by the secretary of the civil aviation ministry, already recommended transforming the corporation into ...
(read more) Tuesday, March 27th, 2007The aircraft of Biman Bangladesh Airlines that had an accident at Dubai International Airport on March 12 is beyond repair, said a source at Biman. "The Airbus is beyond economic repair [BER] and therefore it is abandoned," the Biman official said while talking to The Daily Star."Biman is yet to declare the Airbus abandoned officially as we are waiting for the report from the insurance company of the Airbus", said the official.Biman would receive $ 40 million from the insurance company as it is beyond BER, he said.Meanwhile, the flight operations restrictions imposed on pilot and crew of ...
(read more) Tuesday, March 13th, 2007A Dhaka-bound Bangladesh Biman airliner suffered a wheel failure during takeoff, forcing Dubai International Airport, the busiest in the Middle East, to suspend its operations for about eight hours yesterday.No severe injury was reported in the accident involving the BG 006 flight on London-Dubai-Dhaka route. Some 14 of its 236 passengers and crew received mere cuts and bruises while being evacuated, Biman sources said.The airport resumed its normal flight operations at 4:30pm[Bangladesh time].A Biman Bangladesh official told The Daily Star that they were working to arrange for an alternative flight to bring the stranded passengers back home last night.The expensive ...
(read more) Sunday, February 4th, 2007Dense fog caused disruptions of international flights as well as transportation across the country on road and river for more than 12 hours yesterday.Air traffic officials at Zia International Airport said at least 20 international flights of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, Gulf Airlines, Emirates Airlines, and British Airways could not land at the airport at scheduled times.No national or international flights landed at the airport during 11:51pm on Friday and 10:41am on Saturday, they said.Heavy fog lowered down normal eyesight at only 200 metres, forcing drivers either to halt their journey halfway or to speed down. This doubled the time to ...
(read more) Saturday, December 16th, 2006Hajj performance of around 4,000 prospective non-ballottee pilgrims will become uncertain even if the national flag carrier arranges additional hajj flights of its own, unless foreign airlines also agree to do so.The number of ill-fated prospective pilgrims may rise to 12,000 if Bangladesh Biman also fails to operate additional flights for three more days.The civil aviation and tourism ministry tried to persuade seven foreign airlines to share the additional burden due to what Bangladesh Biman called its incapacity.The ministry on December 10 asked seven foreign airlines Qatar Airways, Gulf Air, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Kuwait Airways, Emirates, Etihad Airways and Singapore ...
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