Why are you introducing this new Airbus aircraft in Dhaka?
The Airbus A350-900 is a very modern aircraft, which we have had for only two years in our fleet. In the last few years, we have seen stable economic growth in Bangladesh and we see a very strong outlook in the next five years. That is why we believe it was the right time to upgrade our customer offering. Its capacity is also higher than the current aircraft.
How will the new aircraft benefit the local aviation industry and economy?
People are prone to get value for money. They ask more for their money. In Bangladesh, we see a lot of premium vehicles and international brands on the roads. It is a good thing that international brands are coming to Bangladesh, creating employment for the talented local workforce. We see Bangladesh as a great place. The population is very young and our number of the passenger has been increasing over the last five years. There will be many passengers who will take their first flights in this aircraft. We want to provide the best experience for them.
The new A350 is also very efficient when it comes to carbon emission. It is a very quiet aircraft compared to the previous generation, about 40% quieter. We are ensuring that our environmental footprint will be a lot softer.
Why will people choose your services?
We are the world’s most awarded airline, and most of those awards are based on our services. Besides, we are very rigorous when it comes to our onboard cabin crew, staff across the organization to make sure that the customer service that we can deliver is the best.
This new aircraft has more capacity. The current A330 has 30 business class seats but the new A350 has 40 business class seats, which means 33% increase in capacity. The business class will have fully flat beds. Complimentary Wi-Fi is also available in the business class, which is 100MB per passenger.
Are Asia-Pacific carriers now playing a leading role in global aviation?
The 21st century is known as ‘The Century for Asia’. We are living in the realm of globalization. China, India and, to a lesser extent, Bangladesh are being considered as very important markets for international aviation. In India, we invested a lot. With a partnership with TATA, we have a new airline in India called Vistara, where we have 49% investment and TATA has 51%. We have also heavily invested in China. I have read that around 50% of the Bangladesh population is 25 years old. The economic growth provides opportunities for trade, international travel and migration.
When do you plan on launching the aircraft?
The Airbus A350-900 will begin its first flight from Dhaka on February 1.
Do you have any special offer for new passengers?
We have an ongoing new offer until January 29. For Economy Class, the price starts from Tk23,350 and Business Class pricing starts from Tk1,01,350. The traveling time line for this offer has validity from February 1 to November 30, 2020. The passenger who will be traveling beyond Singapore will receive vouchers for Changi Airport for shopping.
