Biman Bangladesh Airlines is considering the purchase of 32 aircraft from Boeing and Airbus in the next 10 years, said Mohammad Jahidul Islam Bhuiyan, the newly appointed managing director (MD) and CEO of the national carrier.
He made the statement at a press briefing at Biman HQ on Sunday.
In response to a query, he said: "Biman's discussion with Airbus has progressed significantly. Boeing has also offered its aircraft to Biman. We will review Boeing's proposal. We need them both."
Mentioning the airline's purchase and network expansion plan, the Biman boss said: "Biman needs a total of 47 aircraft for route expansion by 2035. Of the 21 aircraft currently in the fleet, six will be phased out by then."
He also expressed interest in leasing aircraft.
Stating that Biman will soon expand to five new routes, the new Biman CEO said: “We have plans to increase existing flights. We expect to operate successive flights soon to Male, Kunming, Jakarta, Seoul, and Sydney.”
When asked about Biman's revenue, Jahidul Islam Bhuiyan said: “Profit and loss are determined by chartered accountant (CA) firms. Besides, we are making regular payments to Petrobangla's Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC), so the arrears have reduced."
Moreover, Biman has fully paid for two 777 aircraft dues, with two more on the way, according to the Biman CEO.
In the last financial year (FY), Biman transported 320,000 passengers with 21 aircraft in its fleet, and during this period, the company achieved a revenue milestone of Tk10,000 crore.
Biman's CEO, optimistic that the airline's revenue will increase this year, said: "I am expecting an income of Tk1,200 crore from cargo."
He mentioned that getting International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certification for ground handling would be a huge achievement and claimed that other departments of the airline are doing good business.
Regarding Biman's flight schedule anomalies, he said: “Our on-time performance is normally 74%. Last month, it was 67%. I have a plan to improve this.
"The aircraft has been upgraded from the medium-risk category to the low-risk category.”
Stating that Biman will be made corruption-free, the new MD said: "No one can progress through corruption."
Earlier, those who committed corruption here were punished in different ways. Some have been fired, demoted, and had their salaries reduced. He will continue to work in these areas, said the Biman chief.
Biman's new CEO has also set a plan to eliminate the issue of tickets being sold out but seats remaining empty, saying: "Although it is a big challenge, I want to eliminate this problem completely. Biman wants to benefit passengers by taking full advantage of digital solutions."
Pointing out that the government is also actively considering giving Biman the responsibility of ground handling at the Dhaka airport's third terminal, he said: "Biman is fully prepared to serve the third terminal. Biman has already purchased various instruments with Tk1,000 crore, and the airline is also working with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) on how to extend the training further."
