The move comes after and increase in business growth and the two-way traffic on Saudi-Bangladesh sector. “The plan to introduce new flights to/from Saudi cities will be implemented in June, a peak season in terms of passenger loads,” said Khondaker S. Alam, Biman regional manager, in Riyadh yesterday.
Alam, who commented on the fleet expansion and Biman’s modernization program said that, “Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam are very important stations for us and in the near future there may be more flights per week between Dhaka and these cities.”
At present, Biman operates 14 flights a week on Saudi-Bangladesh route. Alam was speaking about the opportunities and challenges facing Biman and Bangladeshi aviation industry in general.
On flight schedules, Alam said that Biman flies daily from Riyadh to Dhaka except on Saturdays. Biman, he said, is operating five flights a week from Jeddah to Dhaka, whereas three flights depart from Dammam to Dhaka on a weekly basis. Biman, which has offices in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam, carries 50,000 to 60,000 Haj pilgrims during Haj every year. About 120,000 pilgrims will perform Haj this year and half of them will be flown by Biman flights, he added.
Highlighting the airline's pledge to offer better services to passengers, Alam said : “We have a responsibility to grow and have a strong commitment to facilitate travel and businesses by Saudi and Bangladeshi passengers across the world and encourage tourism business in Bangladesh as well.” Biman, he said, was expanding and modernizing noting that B777-300ERs aircraft are joining the fleet.
To this end, Alam confirmed that the carrier had signed definitive agreements with the Boeing Company for purchase of four B777-300ERs, four B787-8s and two B737-800s aircraft. Boeing will deliver the B777-300ER in 2011 and 2013, B737-800 in 2015 and B787-8 in 2019 and 2020. With the introduction of the new-generation aircraft to the fleet, the situation of Biman has improved significantly, he added.
Referring to the onboard facilities, he said that each seat in business and economy classes has an LCD monitor and a range of entertainment options to choose from. He said that Biman is working with the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) to change timings of the flights from Riyadh to Dhaka with an aim to make the departure timings more convenient for outbound passengers.
