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Possibilities of 2x weekly Dhaka-BHX-JFK from April, another one I won't hold my breath on given the stop start antics up the road.
It's interesting how they say BHX is more commercially viable than MAN. Have BHX turned a corner and will finally be offering a more competitive rate to airlines or is it desperation to have some long haul lined up for the opening of the runway extension?
http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/n ... 11/08/2855
It's interesting how they say BHX is more commercially viable than MAN. Have BHX turned a corner and will finally be offering a more competitive rate to airlines or is it desperation to have some long haul lined up for the opening of the runway extension?
Biman plans biweekly flights to New York by April
Eyes also set on Los Angeles, Canada routes
Jasim Khan
Publish : 08 Nov, 2013 00:00:00
The national flag carrier is likely to fly to New York from Dhaka via Birmingham twice a week by April next while the authorities are also planning to launch services on the Dhaka-Hong Kong-Los Angeles and Dhaka-Canada routes.
"A U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (US FAA) inspection team is due in Bangladesh in early 2014 to audit the possible Category 1 operations," Mr Kevin John Steele, Managing Director and CEO of the Biman Bangladesh Airlines Ltd said in a letter to the chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) last week.
If the outcome of the inspection is positive, the Biman would resume its Dhaka-New York flight, Mr Kevin said.
"When we receive our next 2 new B777-300ER aircraft, we are looking to dry-lease one of those aircraft to a UK-based company which will help as an alternative to fly Biman aircraft to the USA, if the USFAA does not graduate Biman for Category 1," Mr Kevin clarified in his plan on the US and Canada operations.
According to him, the US requirements for any airline flying to that country are that either the airline must be registered in a country where the CAA has a Category 1 rating or wet-lease an aircraft from a company that is registered in a Category-1 country.
As part of the Biman's America plan, it now intends to fly on the Dhaka-Birmingham (BHX)-John F Kennedy (JFK) airport route instead of the earlier planned Dhaka-Manchester-JFK route.
"The option is better, because a greater number of Bangladeshis are living in Birmingham than in Manchester and the Birmingham offer is more commercially viable than the Manchester Airport's offer," Mr Kevin wrote.
However, Mr Kevin said as the Biman was expecting 4 B777-300ERs plus possibly the two (dry-lease) B777-200ERs, the Biman was also weighing the option of the Dhaka-Hong Kong-Los Angeles operation to take advantage of the open US skies.
Earlier, on Aug 17 last Bangladesh had signed an open sky agreement with the United States to resume its flights to New York.
The national flag career would also revive its maiden flight to Canada within te next year.
A Bangladesh delegation visited Canada in the last week of September for finalising an agreement with that country to this end.
"Once the deal is concluded, we will be able to start flights to Canada. Three passenger aircraft and three cargo aircraft will operate," said a high official of the Biman.
CAAB Flight Safety and Regulations Department Director SM Nazmul Anam said a technical team would arrive from the US to look into a number of issues, including the security arrangement at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka.
"We have to wait for the new Canada Air Service Agreement (ASA) before we decide on when we can operate our flights to Toronto. We, however, are disappointed that the Canadian authorities have not provided us with intermediate fifth freedom for flights to and from Europe, especially because the US, UK and European authorities have already granted it to us," he added.
http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/n ... 11/08/2855