Biman Bangladesh Airlines (Bengali: ???????????????? ) , partly transcribed from English to Bengali and vice versa, commonly known as Biman (Bengali: ????? ), is a flag carrier from Bangladesh. Its main hub is at Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka and also operates flights from its secondary hub at Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong and Osmani International Airport in Sylhet. The airline provides international passenger and cargo services to its destination; in April 2015, it has air service agreements with 42 countries, but only flies to 16 countries. The airline headquarters, Balaka Bhaban , is located in Kurmitola, Dhaka. Annual Hajj flights; transporting Bangladeshi tourists and workers and non-residents; and the activities of its subsidiaries are an integral part of the airline business. The airline is currently facing tough competition from a number of domestic private airlines Bangladesh as well as several international airlines, which offer greater flexibility by targeting the Bangladesh air transport sector which experiences an annual growth rate of 8%, thanks to a large number of tourists and non-nationals. -travel Bangladesh traveler.
Created in February 1972, Biman enjoyed an internal monopoly in the aviation industry of Bangladesh until 1996. In the decades after its establishment, the airline expanded its fleet and its purpose but it was affected by corruption and mismanagement. At its peak, Biman operates flights to 29 international destinations, extending from New York City in the west to Tokyo in the east. The airline is wholly owned and managed by the Bangladeshi government until July 23, 2007, when it was transformed into the country's largest public limited company by the Provisional Government of Bangladesh. Since becoming a public limited company in 2007, the airline has reduced staff and began to modernize its fleet. The airline has made a deal with Boeing for ten new aircraft along with options for the other ten. Biman Bangladesh Airlines is certified as safe to fly in Europe by the European Aviation Safety Agency and has also successfully passed the IATA Operational Safety Audit and since then, the airline has continued flights to some previous destinations in Asia and Europe.
Video Biman Bangladesh Airlines
History
Biman Bangladesh Airlines was established on 4 January 1972 as a national airline of Bangladesh under the Order of Biman Bangladesh (President Order No. 126). The initiative to launch the airline was taken by 2,500 former employees, including ten Boeing 707 commanders and seven other pilots from Pakistan International Airlines, who submitted a proposal to the government on December 31, 1971 after Bangladesh's independence. The airline was originally called Air Bangladesh but was immediately changed to its current name.
On February 4, 1972, Biman started his domestic service, originally connecting Dhaka with Chittagong, Jessore and Sylhet, using a Douglas DC-3 acquired from India. Following this DC-3 accident on 10 February 1972, near Dhaka, during flight test, two Indian Airlines' Fokker F27 and supplied by the Indian government entered the fleet in lieu of. Shortly thereafter, additional capacity was provided with the incorporation of Douglas DC-6, loaned out by the World Council of Churches, which in turn was replaced by another Douglas DC-6, a DC-6B model hired from Troll-Air, to operate. route Dhaka-Calcutta. On 4 March 1972, Biman started his international operations on a weekly flight to London using a Boeing 707 chartered from the British Caledonian. Short-range fleet equipped by Fokker F27 from India on March 3, 1972; the aircraft was employed on a daily scheduled flight between Calcutta and Dhaka on April 28, 1972. Three additional Fokker F27 were obtained during March and September of that year. In its first year of operation, Biman operated 1,079 flights carrying more than 380,000 passengers.
Four Fokker F27 joined the fleet in 1973, allowing Biman to double the frequency of Kolkata flights to the service twice a day. Boeing 707 was added to the fleet in September and flights to London became twice a week, while the Chittagong-Kolkata flight also began operations. In 1974, the operation expanded to Kathmandu (February), Bangkok (November) and Dubai (December). In 1976, Biman sold two Fokker F27 and purchased another Boeing 707 to expand international services to Abu Dhabi, Karachi and Mumbai. Singapore was added to Biman's international destinations list, when all three Boeing 707s were purchased in February 1977, followed by Jeddah, Doha and Amsterdam the following year, which also saw the purchase of all four Boeing 707s. In 1977, Biman was converted into a public sector company to be regulated by a board of directors appointed by the government. The airline broke even for the first time in 1977-1978, and made a fortune the following year. International goals expanded to include Kuala Lumpur, Athens, Muscat and Tripoli in 1979, followed by Yangon, Tokyo and Dhahran in 1980. Biman received delivery of his Fokker F28-4000 85-seat in 1981. In 1983, three Douglas DC-10s joined the fleet and the airline began to end Boeing 707. The flight network expanded further to include Baghdad (1983), Paris (1984) and Bahrain (1986). On 5 August 1984, Biman faced the worst accident when Fokker F27 flew from Chittagong to fall near Dhaka, killing 49 people inside. The long-distance fleet was then equipped with the purchase of two new Airbus A310s in 1996, followed by the addition of two more in 2000, from Singapore Airlines and Air Jamaica, and others in 2003.
Maps Biman Bangladesh Airlines
Company affairs
The key person
In June 2016, the chairmanship was held by Air Mshl Muhammad Enamul Bari; A. M. Mosaddique Ahmed is the managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO).
Kevin John Steele, who served as MD and CEO of Biman from March 2013 to April 2014, was the first foreign citizen in the airline history appointed as CEO and MD of Biman. He was selected from a pool of 42 local and foreign candidates after a competitive selection process. Steele is a British citizen with years of experience working in management and administration positions at British Airways and other airlines around the world. Steele resigned to Biman 's MD and CEO position in December 2013 ( 2013-12 ) stating health issues. Steele left office on April 19, 2014 ( 2014-04-19 ) . Kyle Haywood served as Biman MD and CEO on January 5, 2015 ( 2015-01-05 ) . As a British citizen, Haywood is a second foreign national who holds the position of CEO 's after Kevin Steele.
Ownership
The airline is wholly owned by the Bangladesh government through Bangladesh Biman Corporation since its inception. In 1977, Biman was transformed into a public sector company that granted limited autonomy to Biman, led by a board of directors appointed by the government. The authorized capital stock increased to BDT 2 billion in 1987, and Biman transformed into the largest public limited company, in Bangladesh, in 2007.
Privatization
1980s
During the late 1980s, Hossain Mohammad Irsyad, President of Bangladesh at the time, served as president of Biman. After an initial period of expansion and growth, Biman entered an era of nasal diving and slow growth, aggravated by incompetent and corrupt management, who made purchases, falsified remedial bills, and maintained unprofitable routes in operations for political reasons. Research conducted in 1996 found that Biman had 5,253 non-flying personnel, 30% more than Singapore Airlines, an airline that operates a fleet almost ten times that of Biman. The report describes Biman as "poorly managed, over staffed, underfunded, and subject to excessive political interference in day-to-day management."
1990s
In the fiscal year 1992-93, the account under the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism revealed that the 22 million BDT tax was not paid to the government. The audit conducted in 1999, also shows that Biman owes BDT 2.2 million by travel agents from ticket sales, most likely with the collusion of Biman officials. In addition, BDT 2.4 million is paid too high as incentive commissions to sales agents that violate Biman's policies. In 2007, the interim government launched an anti-corruption drive. This was soon followed by the forcible coercion of 35 employees and other officials, some of whom were close aides to Shamim Iskander. In 2008 Iskander, the younger brother of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, was sent to prison on charges of concealing information about his wealth and not because of his relationship with Biman.
Faced with increasing losses from the late 1990s onwards, the government offered 40 per cent of Biman to foreign airlines in 2004, hoping buyers would take over the management of aircraft carriers. However, the proposal demands that many decision-making rights remain within the Bangladesh government, and the offer is ignored by foreign airlines. Similar initiatives in 1998 weighed on Biman $ 1.6 million in consulting fees without positive results.
2000s
In the 2005-06 fiscal year, Biman brought 1.15 million passengers, growing 70% from the previous decade. With the advent of private domestic airlines in Bangladesh, however, Biman's market share for domestic passengers dropped 35% from the average ten years earlier, with only 162,000 passengers traveling with Biman in the domestic sector in fiscal 2005-06. During the same period, Biman reported its biggest annual loss of more than US $ 120 million (BDT 8.3 billion in 2010), with a loss of US $ 100 million (BDT 6.9 billion per year 2010) in the following year. Biman also fell behind millions of dollars in payments to its fuel supplier, Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC), with debt rising to BDT 15.64 billion at the end of December 2006 ( 2006-12 ) .
Public limited company
In May 2007 ( 2007-05 ) , the interim government approved a plan to convert Biman into a public limited company with share ownership split between seven public sector organizations. As part of the restructuring, the government placed a voluntary pension scheme (VRS) to reduce the man-equipment (MER) ratio by 367: 1 (the ratio of labor to aircraft). The industry average at that time was 200: 1, and other Asian airlines operated with MERs of about 150: 1. VRS compensated based on the length of service, at a cost to the government over the 2.97 billion BDT borrowed from the World Bank. Biman management is expected to reduce its workforce by 1,600, but 2,162 applications are accepted, many of which are expected to be discharged with little or no severance pay if the quota is not met. Biman received between 1863 and 1877 applications, and confirmed that key personnel will not be allowed to leave the organization through VRS.
On July 23, 2007, Biman Bangladesh Airlines became the largest public limited company in Bangladesh. The previous suggestion that airlines should be renamed to Bangladesh Airlines is denied. The government is the sole shareholder of 1.5 billion shares, but intends to offer 49 percent to the private sector while retaining majority ownership. Previous managing director, Dr. Abdul Momen, was appointed chief executive officer (CEO) and managing director of the new organization. The six directors were appointed from the ministries of energy, commerce, finance, civil aviation, foreign affairs, and cabinet divisions, with cabinet ministers taking on the role of chairman of the board of directors. Six secretaries and joint secretaries for the civil aviation ministry created seven new PLC shareholders. In September 2008 ( 2008-09 ) , the government appointed Air Commodore Zahed Kuddus (retd) to replace Dr. Mom as CEO. From 2002 to 2005, Kuddus has been chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB), which he previously held various posts in the Bangladeshi Air Force.
After privatization, an initiative was launched by former Biman employee, who left the organization through VRS, to establish a competing airline. The proposed names for the airline include Air Bangla International, Biman Employees Airlines and Balaka. They joined Biman's managing director earlier, along with former president of the Bangladesh Airlines Pilots Association. However, nothing further sounds about the proposed business.
The airline made a profit in FY 2007-08 (BDT 60 million) and FY 2008-09 (BDT 150 million); In FY 2009-10, however, operators incurred in a net loss of BDT 800 million.
2010s
In FY 2010-11 made BDT 2 billion losses, although the government exempted it from debt of around BDT 11.94 billion and BDT 5.73 billion to BPC and CAAB, respectively. In FY 2011-12 there was a loss of BDT 6.06 billion ( US $ 75 million); on FY 2012-13 unaudited figures shows the loss of BDT 2 billion. The airline plans to fully benefit on FY 2014-15. In December 2013, Biman owed BDT 15.60 billion to various sources; in which BDT 3676.2 million for CAAB and BDT 8.50 billion for Padma Oil Company, its fuel supplier. Biman got a profit of 2.72 billion BDT in FY 2014-15.
Subsidiaries
The Biman subsidiary is concerned with aircraft ground handling, flight engineering, flight training and catering flights. There are five wholly owned subsidiaries, including:
Since 1972, BGH has provided ground handling services to all airports in Bangladesh; the company reported a 4.5 billion BDT profit for FY 2011-12. A wholly owned subsidiary of BFCC was established in 1989 to provide food on board. This is one of Biman's lucrative operations, supplying food to Saudia, Etihad, Malaysia Airlines, Thai Airways, Emirates, Dragon Air, China Southern Airlines and Regent Airways, along with regular orders from other airlines operating in Bangladesh. The BFCC consumes 90% of eggs and chickens from BPC, another profit-producing subsidiary of Biman formed in 1976 and operated in November 1980 to eradicate poultry on farms in Dhaka. Bird flu was detected on one farm in March 2007, and many birds were destroyed. This is the first incident of bird flu in Bangladesh.
Services
Biman is best known for the disruption of flight schedules and poor customer service. In 2007, Biman faced harsh criticism from major international airports including London Heathrow Airport and Dubai International Airport due to its failure to maintain flight schedules. Heathrow Airport operator BAA writes to Biman to provide evidence showing that Biman has not reached the minimum 80% of the use of landing slots allocated at Heathrow, as required by EU regulations and the International Air Transport Association (IATA), during the summer of 2007. Biman should Because that, do not expect slot allocation at Heathrow for the summer of 2008 and should look to Stansted or Gatwick airport if it wants to continue serving London. After discussion with BAA, however, Biman obtained a landing slot for the summer of 2008 on condition that it reached 80% usage. The delay continued and in September 2008, the direct Dhaka-London Biman flight utilized the DC-10 aircraft to be diverted and landed at Gatwick when it did not have enough fuel to remain in the holding pattern over Heathrow upon arrival more than three hours after the scheduled time. In a September 10, 2008 article published in The Times, Biman labeled the worst performer for punctuality at Heathrow, with the flight delayed by an average of three hours. In 2008, the UN advised its staff not to fly with Biman, due to security and security reasons and unreliable Biman flight schedules. It is clear that UN flying staff with Biman do so at their own risk, and are not eligible to claim insurance. The newly appointed Biman executive director said he did not know the direction of the UN, but admitted that Biman faced problems in managing his flight schedule. He expects the situation to improve with the procurement of aircraft in the coming months.
In 2013, Biman entered into an agreement with SITA and Mercator to provide infrastructure support and revenue accounting services to airlines.
In 2014, Biman launches an advance seat reservation system on its website. The airline also offers a selection of online food choices, where passengers can choose from diabetes foods, vegetarian food, Asian vegetarian food, child food and Muslim food, which will be served on board.
Flight class
The two class services (J and Y) are operated on all Biman planes. The Business Class cabin in the Boeing 777 is set in a 2-3-2 configuration, while the economy class cabins are arranged in 3-3-3 configurations. Business Class The Boeing 737-800 is narrowly shaped in a 2-2 configuration while Economy Class is in setting 3-3.
Flight facility
Biman relaunched its re-labeled magazine as Bihanga in September 2013. A bi-monthly magazine, formerly known as Diganta , and before that Jatri , published by Subcontinental Media Group. The magazine is available in Bengali and English, covering topics about Bangladesh and Biman goals. English and Bengali newspapers are also available on board.
The newer Boeing 777 comes with modern in-flight entertainment. Each seat is equipped with a personal touch screen provided by Thales. Loaded with movies, songs and games. It also has high resolution moving maps and direct flight information. It's in two languages ​​- English and Bengali.
Biman launched a duty-free sale on the plane in March 2014, branded as Biman Boutique. Duty-free products include: perfumes, cosmetics, jewelry, watches, children's gifts, chocolates and tobacco.
In 2014, Biman launches a convenience kit for children on board that includes coloring books, stationery, dolls and jigsaw puzzles.
Biman is one of the few airlines that does not serve alcoholic drinks on its flights.
Frequent flyer program
Biman launched the frequent flyer program, named Biman Loyalty Club, in November 2013. It offers gifts such as tiered benefits, bonus mileage, extra baggage, lounge access and priority check-in at the airport.
As of July 2014, the frequent flyer program has 8,000 members.
Ticketing
An agreement was signed with Amadeus in 2007 to improve the Biman ticket system with an e-ticketing solution to comply with the IATA rules, which set a December 31, 2007 deadline for all member airlines to divert their ticketing systems. E-ticketing has allowed major airlines to provide online check-in facilities, reducing the need to queue at the check-in counter. However, Biman has not made efforts to improve customer service through the implementation of e-ticketing, although it has been able to reduce its own cost. In 2005, Biman stopped using the Amadeus ticketing system when the government suspended operations of a local Amadeus subsidiary after a court order, after money laundering allegations. The suspension, however, lasted only a month, and was appointed after the letter appealed in the High Court.
In 2013, Biman signed an agreement with German e-ticketing company, Hahn Air, which allows Biman tickets to be purchased from anywhere in the world.
Biman Cargo
Biman also operates cargo services using cargo which holds its passenger aircraft to deliver goods to international destinations. It has set up Cargo Village at Shahjalal International Airport where cargo is packed and labeled before it is loaded onto the plane.
While the air cargo industry in Bangladesh grew 16.5% in fiscal year 2003-04, Biman cargo operations remained stagnant when private operators such as Bismillah Airlines, Best Flight and Air Bangladesh generated 108% growth from a year earlier. Private operators increased their cargo market share by 10.6% and were responsible for handling 24% of the total 99,000 tonnes of cargo at the expense of both Biman and foreign airlines that saw a decrease in their shares by 4.6% and 6.0% respectively. Foreign airlines handle 47% of the total cargo with Biman taking the remaining 29%.
As with the services and management of passengers, corruption has also been widespread in Biman Cargo. Investigations in 2004 found irregularities in a number of Biman Middle East operations that deprived millions of dollars in government revenues. Biman officials in Dubai were found to have "extended privileges" to major freight carriers in return for bribes. Smuggling of foreign currency and gold bullion is reported to have occurred in Biman Cargo Village by Biman and CAAB employees. A number of arrests were made but the perpetrators evaded punishment for lack of evidence and pressure from the CAAB union.
Destination
In December 2016, Biman served 23 destinations, 15 of which were international. However, operators have air service agreements with 43 countries leaving space for non-plane expansion. It operates flights to several destinations in the Middle East, several destinations in South Asia and Southeast Asia and London in Europe.
The airline announced its intention to start flights to Guangzhou and Kunming in China in the summer of 2014. Former board director Biman Kazi Oahedul Alam criticized the expansion because of poor planning and commercially unfeasible.
New York and Manchester
From 1993 to 2006, Biman operated flights to John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York City, from Dhaka via Brussels. New York is Biman's furthest and most prestigious destination, and continues to operate despite massive financial losses to maintain a US landing slot which, if canceled, can be difficult to recover. To reduce losses, Biman reduced service to one flight per week and redirected it via Manchester Airport, England, taking advantage of travel requests from Bangladesh's foreign communities in northern England. On April 8, 2006, Biman's inaugural flight to Manchester landed at Manchester Airport on the way to JFK. However, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has placed the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) into Category 2 (not meeting International Civil Aviation Organization standards) according to the International Aviation Safety Assessment Program, which places additional restrictions on the country's airlines. when flying to the US. A former CAAB assistant director made a scathing remark about CAAB in an opinion article on Aviatour , monthly travel supplement and tour of Bangladesh Weekly News magazine . For Biman, this meant that it could continue flying to the US, but could not expand or make changes to routes, such as changing the transit from Brussels to Manchester. The FAA fined Biman for violating its rules, and the flight to New York was re-channeled through Brussels.
The FAA has warned Biman to replace the aging DC-10 in December 2005. According to experts, the aircraft is not equipped adequately to cross the Atlantic safely. On 13 May 2006, the FAA rejected permission for Biman BG001 (Dhaka-Brussels-JFK) flight to enter the airspace, citing security concerns over the sick DC-10 aircraft used on the route. The flight was diverted to MontrÃÆ' Â © al-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport in Canada, where passengers were given an alternative flight option to complete their journey. The Canadian authorities checked the plane and gave it a clean bill of health after the plane returned to Dhaka without passengers. The FAA finally admitted it was wrong and apologized for the mistake.
The incident ended the route, which had lost US $ 80,000 per flight, due to its use of the outdated DC-10. Biman decided to flood the route along with a number of other regional and domestic routes to curb the huge losses incurred by airlines each month. However, in October 2007, Biman was directed by the interim government to continue the flight to New York. Biman was given until 25 October 2008 (extended from the previous deadline of 23 March 2008) to continue the flight to the airport by the JFK airport authority, after which it will miss the landing slot permanently.
The resumption of flights to the United States can occur in 2015, this depends on the FAA raising the category of CAAB which is still in category 2, in May 2015.
Hajj flights
The annual pilgrimage of Islam to Mecca for Hajj is carried out by thousands of Bangladesh's predominantly Muslim population. Biman has become the only Bangladesh airline allowed by the government to provide flights for pilgrims to King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah. Each year, the commencement of the flight was inaugurated by high-ranking government officials, including, at times, the Prime Minister.
In 2002, the government opened the service to private tour operators for the first time. The initial private flight was interrupted by a delay, with both flights out and back delayed for nine days, leading to the Bangladesh government to restore the monopoly of Hajj flights to Biman.
Handling Biman Haj flight has also been hit by problems. In 2005, the State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism resigned after complaints that he set tariffs too high. In 2006, Biman took an unprecedented step to move business class seats from special Haj flights to accommodate more economy class passengers. The procedural irregularities by Haj agents delayed the confirmation of the pilgrim's visa, and Biman had to cancel 19 flights due to lack of sufficient passengers. Once the situation is resolved, Biman then can not offer the required number of flights to cope with the pile of passengers.
In June 2007, the interim government approved a three-year Hajj policy aimed at easing the problems faced over the previous two years. Hajj flights will also start departing from two other international airports in Bangladesh, Shah Amanat International Airport and Osmani International Airport. Biman conducted a tender for the lease of two planes for additional Haj flights and reached an agreement with Phuket Air. However, the deal failed in August 2007 after Phuket Air requested an advance payment of 30% over the previously agreed to 10%. Ausban Aeronautical Services of Australia was elected next, after re-tender, to fill the gap left by Phuket Air. In 2008, Biman leased 542 Boeing 747-200 passengers from Kabo Air from Nigeria for six months to operate flights to Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Boeing 747-300 with a capacity of 512 other seats are rented from Orient Thai Airlines.
In June 2014, Biman still faced difficulties in providing their scheduled services, as the operator gave priority to pilgrims transport to Jeddah during the Hajj season using an aircraft which, if not flown on its regular flights. Nevertheless, the airline reported earnings of nearly BDT1 billion from the 2012 Haj season, the highest result since the service began in 1973.
Fleet
A vintage Douglas Dakota and Douglas DC-3 were the first aircraft in Biman's fleet. Domestic operations began with the acquisition of four Fokker F27 aircraft that flew passengers to Chittagong and Sylhet from its base in Dhaka. Shortly after, Boeing 707, hired from the British Caledonian, joined the airline fleet, allowing Biman to start an international flight. In 1983, Biman bought three McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30s from Singapore Airlines to provide services on long-haul routes. The British Aerospace ATP entered the fleet in late 1990, coming to replace the Fokker F27.
During the mid-1990s, Biman transferred his preferred plane to long-haul routes to an Airbus plane. In 1995, two Airbus A310-300s powered PW4000 ordered; the first of them joining the fleet on June 15, 1996 ( 1996-06-15 ) . Nevertheless retaining the old DC-10 fleet. For more than three decades, DC-10-30 is Biman's widebody aircraft and serves the airline consistently well, with no obvious mechanical problems - unlike its domestic operating records. It is operated with Fokker F28 and BAe ATP which routinely does not work due to technical issues. In one incident, a government minister got off the plane and traveled overland when he learned that the plane he was headed was BAe ATP. In January 2003, Biman leased two Boeing 737-300s used for domestic and regional routes for eighteen months.
The McDonnell Douglas DC-10s and Airbus A310-300s comprise most of Biman's international fleet, before the delivery of the modern Boeing 777-300ER began in 2011. Fokker F28s makes the rest of the fleet for the domestic and regional sectors, before they have been retired in 2012. Biman Fleet containing the second Douglas DC-10 coming from the production line (l/n 445), and only three other Airbus A310-300s produced after the purchase of two new Airbus A310s by Biman in 1996. Both Fokker F28-4000 were obtained from PBair in 2004 at a cost of $ 2.91 million. Both aircraft were built in 1977, making the latest acquisition of Biman as the oldest plane in its fleet. The aging fleet made it difficult for Biman to maintain his flight schedule, as the plane had mechanical problems, causing flight delays and cancellations. A number of aircraft remain due to lack of spare parts because they are no longer manufactured and the parts used are difficult to obtain. The agreement signed in January 2012 Ã, ( 2012-01 ) a three-year contract with a German company for the maintenance of their powerplants, for DC-10s. It operates additional facilities and own maintenance at Shahjalal International Airport, where it does all maintenance work and C-Checks on DC-10-30 and A310-300.
Modernization
2000s
In 2000, Biman submitted a request for a proposal to acquire four wide-body aircraft to replace the DC-10, but both the fleet renewal plan and the privatization that the airline is expected to suspend by the government. Further efforts were made in 2005 to acquire new aircraft and plans submitted for the purchase of ten new wide-bodied Airbus and Boeing aircraft at a total cost of $ 1 billion. Boeing arranges to finance the purchase by providing a guarantee granted by the government of Bangladesh. After bureaucratic delays and lack of commitment from the government, Boeing lost interest and the plan was canceled. Similar efforts to buy medium-range aircraft for domestic services were also delayed. In March 2007 ( 2007-03 ) , Biman submitted a tender for the dry lease of two Airbus A310-300s and two Airbus A300-600 aircraft for two years. The only response to the tender came from Star Aviation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
After Biman became a public limited company, new efforts were made to procure a new generation aircraft to replace an aging fleet. In November 2007, Boeing made an offer to supply Biman with four Boeing 777-200s (with option for two more) to be delivered in 2013 and four Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners (with option for two more) will ship in 2017 and provide the aircraft a type hired for the interim period beginning in 2009. The average price of this aircraft is quoted as US $ 165 million. Airbus also made an offer to provide four Airbus A320 or Airbus A330 aircraft at a price much cheaper than Boeing. To manage the fleet in the short term, Biman re-floated the tender in January 2008 to buy/dry the lease with option to purchase two used Airbus A310-300 aircraft.
On March 10, 2008, Biman's management launched a plan for the procurement of eight next generation wide-bodied aircraft from Boeing Commercial Airplanes at a total cost of US $ 1.26 billion, including four 419-seater Boeing 777-300ER (average price US $ 182.9 million per unit), and four Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners which will occupy 294 ( US $ 133.31 million per unit), to be shipped in year 2017. The deal for the acquisition of the eight aircraft was signed with Boeing in April 2008, and also includes a memorandum of understanding for the purchase of two Boeing 737-800s to be delivered by 2015, with Biman making an initial installment of 2010s
In 2010, Biman rented two Boeing 777-200ERs from EuroAtlantic Airways. The aircraft is used primarily on routes to European destinations to cover the interim period before shipping the first two Boeing 777-300ERs in 2011. To secure the delivery of both new 777-300ERs aircraft carriers using an initial US $ 277 million loan from JPMorgan Chase. Wearing a new livery, the carrier takes delivery of its first Boeing 777-300ER at the end of October 2011. It is the 3007-300ER to 300 that is shipped by Boeing. The 301 aircraft that had sent the Boeing 777-300ER also went to Biman; the airline took ownership by the end of November 2011 ( 2011-11 ) . The third Boeing 777-300ER, named Aakash Pradeep , was submitted to operators in February 2014 ( 2014-02 ) ; the fourth, named Raanga Pravat , joined the fleet in March 2014 ( 2014-03 ) , after the government approved Loans of US $ 356 million, US $ 290 million will be provided by Ex-Im Bank and the rest by Standard Chartered Bank.
Biman retired the entire fleet of McDonnell Douglas DC-10 on February 20, 2014, by operating a special Dhaka-Birmingham farewell flight with the last DC-10, with a stopover in Kuwait; operators also operate nine separate aviation flight enthusiasts in Birmingham, from February 22-24, three flights a day. The plane was then offered for sale as a used item in Dhaka. Airbus A310-300 withdrawn from service in October 2016.
The airline leases two Boeing 777-200ER aircraft from EgyptAir in March 2014. The airline plans to expand its fleet to 16 aircraft, to allow for route extensions. With the newly hired Dash 8-Q400 aircraft, the airline continues its full swing domestic flight to Cox's Bazar, Jessore, Saidpur, Rajshahi and Barisal in April 2015. Both aircraft, dried hired from Smart Aviation Company for a period of five years, operated on regional flights to Kolkata and Yangon. It was originally supposed to resume in November 2013, which Biman failed because he could not find the aircraft tenant.
In February 2017, it was announced that the airline would purchase three of their own Dash 8-Q400 which would be used to replace the current aircraft hired from Smart Airline Companies to continue domestic and regional flight operations.
Livery
In modern Bengali, the word ????? biman refers to "plane", derived from Sanskrit vim? na , the name given to the glyphs mentioned in the ancient Vedic literature. The logo, painted on the tail, is a stylish white stork (????? bÃÆ'Â'laka ) inside the red circle. The logo was designed by the painter Quamrul Hassan. The initial pattern is the dark blue line that extends across the plane along the window and covers the tail. It was replaced in the 1980s by a dark green and red line, matching the colors of the Bangladeshi flag, and has remained so for more than two decades.
In 2010, Biman went through a rebranding exercise and launched a new logo and livery, designed by Teague, applied to Boeing 777 and 737 aircraft hired. However, after the change of government, Biman was forced to return to the original brand because the brand new image was not supported by the incoming government. The operator has adopted a new, more modern revised version, which is applied to the new Boeing 777-300ER delivered at the end of 2011.
The bÃÆ'Â'laka also gave its name to Biman headquarters, which Balaka Bhaban (i bÃÆ'Â'laka bhÃÆ'Â'ban >, Stork Building), and a landmark statue in Dhaka depicting the crane located in front of the former Biman headquarters, Biman Bhaban in the Motijheel Commercial Area in Dhaka. Current
In March 2018, the Biman Bangladesh Airlines fleet included the following aircraft:
History of the fleet
The operator also previously operated the following aircraft:
Accidents and incidents
In November 2013, the Aviation Safety Network recorded 11 accidents/incidents for Biman Bangladesh Airlines, with only two of them leading to casualties.
See also
- List of Bangladeshi airlines
- Transportation in Bangladesh
Footnote
Note
References
External links
- Official website (English)
- Douglas DC-6 hired by Bangladesh Biman
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments