Biman Bangladesh Airlines has claimed that its first flight on a trial basis on the Dhaka-Toronto route has been successful and it is commercially viable.
However, with commercial flights scheduled to begin in the first week of June, the airline has yet to take most of the necessary preparations for the new operation.
Industry insiders and aviation experts have been doubtful of its commercial viability, despite the maiden flight being a historical landmark.
Also Read- Biman's maiden Toronto flight returns Dhaka
Biman in a statement on Wednesday announced the return of the flight, “Sonar Tori”, from the Canadian city of Toronto.
Flight BG305 took off from Toronto Pearson Airport at 10:25am local time and landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 12:40pm Bangladesh time.
Earlier, the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner landed at the Toronto airport on March 27 amid a snowstorm after flying for 18 hours and 35 minutes at a stretch.
Describing the flight as historical, aviation expert ATM Nazrul Islam told Dhaka Tribune that Biman would face some challenges when it starts flying commercially on the route.
Also Read- Controversy over 10C Biman ‘promotional flight’ to Toronto
The airline will at first struggle to get enough passengers for daily flights, he remarked, adding that its customer service is still substandard, especially compared to international players.
Biman should take a competitive approach in pricing its tickets on the route, he said.
The flight cannot be called successful or commercially viable unless Biman addresses all underlying issues before the launch, said the aviation expert.
