[🇧🇩] Aviation Industry in Bangladesh

[Saif]

UK keen to support to transform Bangladesh into aviation hub

The United Kingdom is committed to playing a supportive role in transforming Bangladesh into an aviation hub, said UK High Commissioner to Bangladesh Sarah Cooke on Wednesday. The envoy made the remark during a meeting with Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Mohammad Faruk Khan at his residence i

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

UK keen to support to transform Bangladesh into aviation hub
BSS
Published :
Apr 24, 2024 22:07
Updated :
Apr 24, 2024 22:07

The United Kingdom is committed to playing a supportive role in transforming Bangladesh into an aviation hub, said UK High Commissioner to Bangladesh Sarah Cooke on Wednesday.

The envoy made the remark during a meeting with Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Mohammad Faruk Khan at his residence in the capital, said a press release here.

During the meeting, Cooke said the UK is now eager to expand cooperation in a wider range of potential new areas, including the development of technical skills in Bangladesh's aviation industry, the training of skilled personnel, and the further enhancement of security measures.

She mentioned that the two countries have previously worked together in various sectors of the aviation industry, including the development of airport security systems.

In response, the minister welcomed the UK's friendly cooperation in successfully transforming Bangladesh into an aviation hub.

He expressed his delight at the prospect of the two countries working together to develop the aviation industry.

The minister added that the scope for collaboration between the two countries in various areas of the aviation industry will be explored.

Faruk Khan further stated that the government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, is working to transform Bangladesh into a major aviation hub.

He mentioned that extensive development work has been carried out at all airports in the country, including the construction of a third terminal at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, and that further development work is underway.

He also mentioned that the government is working to transform Syedpur Airport into a regional hub.​

 

[Saif]

https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/trade/airbus-keen-to-build-long-term-tie-with-bangladesh

Airbus keen to build long-term tie with Bangladesh
FE ONLINE DESK
Published :
May 15, 2024 21:37
Updated :
May 15, 2024 21:37

European commercial aircraft manufacturing giant Airbus is interested in building a strong and long-term collaboration with Bangladesh to contribute to the sustainability and advancement of the country's aviation sector.

This proposal came up while visiting Airbus Executive Vice President (International) Wouter van Wersch held a meeting with civil aviation and tourism minister Muhammad Faruk Khan at the secretariat, reports BSS.

The Airbus Vice President was accompanied by French Ambassador to Bangladesh Marie Masdupuy and British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Sarah Cooke.

"Airbus is keen to provide different types of technical assistance as well as offering training to the workforce working in Bangladesh's aviation sector. That's why we are working to build up a strategic partnership with Bangladesh's Aviation University," Wouter said.

He said his company would like to be a partner in making Bangladesh an aviation hub.

Currently, a negotiation is going on between the state-owned Biman Bangladesh Airlines and Airbus, as the Bangladesh government will purchase new aircraft for the national flag carrier.

Fauk Khan said Biman has formed a high-level evaluation committee to review Airbus's financial proposal in this connection.

Meanwhile, the minister said Boeing has likewise given a decent proposition, which is also under Biman's review. "Which will be good for Bangladesh and Biman and we will consider that," Faruk added.

He said, as per Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's directive, his ministry is working to transform Bangladesh into a major aviation hub in South Asia.

Later, French multinational company Thales International Bangladesh Country Director Benoit Nalin held a separate meeting with Faruk Khan.

In the meeting, Nalin showed his keen interest to provide technical assistance to Bangladesh aviation's Air traffic management, developing the Instrument Landing System (ILS) and Smart airport management.

Thales designs, develops and manufactures electrical systems as well as devices and equipment for the aerospace, defence, transportation and security sectors.​

 

[Saif]

Biman does a 180 to buy Airbus planes

In January this year, Biman found that it would be making massive losses if it bought two Airbus A350 planes.

www.thedailystar.net

Biman does a 180 to buy Airbus planes
In 3 days reconstituted evaluation body finds purchase viable after old committee gave the thumbs down

Representational Image/Biman website

In January this year, Biman found that it would be making massive losses if it bought two Airbus A350 planes.

On April 22, a new appraisal committee took over the evaluation and, in only three days, concluded that it would be a profitable venture.

The Biman board has even given the go-ahead for the procurement of four Airbus planes, each costing around $180 million, based on the new calculations.

On multiple occasions throughout last year, Bangladesh gave its word that it would buy Airbus planes.

The final memorandum of understanding, which comes with a hefty non-refundable $5 million commitment fee per plane, was hinging on this techno-financial evaluation.

The national carrier would have to undergo an accumulated cash shortfall of up to $463.08 million throughout the lifetime (25 years) of the planes, the previous committee found after studying a proposal for six months.

Five months later, the evaluating committee was reconstituted by the Biman board, and the former head of the committee, Biman's engineering director, was changed. According to the board meeting minutes, the new committee was given three days.

The committee submitted a report on April 25 saying that buying two Airbus planes would be profitable. To achieve this complete U-turn, it based its calculations on a cabin factor that Biman has never been able to achieve -- up to 92 percent.

Cabin factor refers to the percentage of the seats filled on average.

This allowed the second committee to show increased revenue by 20 percent when compared to the evaluation of the previous committee.

In addition, the second committee said the Airbus planes would be profitable on only two routes – one of which is Dhaka to JFK Airport in New York.

To read the rest of the news, please click on the link above.​

 

[Saif]

Biman’s self-sabotage will not just hurt itself

Its U-turn on Airbus purchase decision raises fresh concerns

www.thedailystar.net

Biman's self-sabotage will not just hurt itself
Its U-turn on Airbus purchase decision raises fresh concerns

VISUAL: STAR

Biman's sudden U-turn on whether buying two Airbus A350 planes would be profitable or not seems to be driven by factors other than financial viability. In January, after studying the proposal for six months, the airliner concluded that it would be making massive losses—amounting to an accumulated cash shortfall of up to $463.08 million over 25 years—if it bought the planes. Strangely enough, on April 22, a new appraisal committee took over the evaluation and, in only three days, decided that it would be a profitable venture. To come to this conclusion, the second committee seems to have invented all sorts of unrealistic scenarios, as per a report by this daily.

For example, the committee based its calculations on Biman filling 92 percent of seats on average (which it has never been able to achieve), showing an increased revenue of 20 percent compared to the evaluation of the previous committee. But even then, the second committee could only show the Airbus planes to be profitable on two routes. One of those routes is Dhaka to JFK Airport in New York, which Bangladeshi carriers have not been able to serve since the US Federal Aviation Authority placed the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) in its Category 2, after finding irregularities in its operational activities in 2006.

With that being the case, why would the committee even consider taking this route into its calculations? Another reasoning concocted by the committee is that jet fuel cost—which has historically been volatile, and has risen in recent times—would decrease, adding about a quarter of the increased revenue shown.

There are other glaring illogical assumptions at play here. The committee ignored the very costly spare parts that Biman would have to acquire for the Airbuses, the significant rise in expenditure as a result of operating a mixed fleet, as opposed to a Boeing-based fleet, etc. But even the committee had to admit that all this may require a huge overhaul of its current crew and their responsibilities, and that Biman may have to suspend operations in different routes or reduce frequency in different sectors. As such, why is the carrier still trying to push through with the Airbus purchases? Given Biman's coloured past—of defying operation rules and standards, violating procurement rules, scandals and anomalies in staff hiring, etc.—its motive needs to be investigated.​

 

[Bilal9]

the committee based its calculations on Biman filling 92 percent of seats on average (which it has never been able to achieve), showing an increased revenue of 20 percent compared to the evaluation of the previous committee. But even then, the second committee could only show the Airbus planes to be profitable on two routes. One of those routes is Dhaka to JFK Airport in New York, which Bangladeshi carriers have not been able to serve since the US Federal Aviation Authority placed the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) in its Category 2, after finding irregularities in its operational activities in 2006.

The corruption and irregularities shown are nothing short of shameless. Facepalm.....

I know of the top leadership at Biman well, these people are not fit to run small vehicle repair shops in Dhaka, much less a national airline.

Scummy uneducated nokar class people, every single one of them. I hope that they go bankrupt after the new terminal ground handling job goes to the Japanese. They are not fit to run even ground handling in Dhaka and made a debacle of it in the last fifty years. They need a swift kick in their collective posteriors, a massive reality check....