Biman’s NY flight now to resume in mid-August
Muhammad Zahidul Islam Foreign Affairs

The national flag carrier invited an international tender last month for CMI and received offers from eight carriers but its board of directors could not be satisfied with any offer

Biman has shifted the date for resuming its Dhaka-New York flight from June 4 to mid-August as it failed to hire any category 1 carrier with crew maintenance insurance (CMI) from tender proposals.

The national flag carrier invited an international tender last month for CMI and received offers from eight carriers but its board of directors could not be satisfied with any offer, officials said after a meeting of the Biman board held on Tuesday.

Currently Biman Bangladesh Airlines is listed as a category 2 carrier according to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which never allows any flights of category 2 operators to land in New York. The FAA will, however, allow Biman if it subscribes to any category 1 flight services.

Biman received offers from the Breaking International Air of Finland, China Southern Airlines, Omni Air International and Omni Apico White Airways from Portugal, Air Atlanta of Iceland, Atlas Air from the USA, Eagle Express and Egypt Airlines.

“Although we found lots of response, unfortunately the offers are not satisfactory enough and that’s why the board of Biman has decided to offload a fresh tender for CMI soon,” Biman’s Managing Director Kevin Steele told the Dhaka Tribune on Wednesday.

He said: “That is why Biman needs more time, and it may resume the service in mid-August.”

Earlier Steele had declared that Biman would resume operating direct flights from Dhaka to New York from June 4.

“I am sorry that we couldn’t manage everything and stick to our declared plan. That is why, this time I am not saying anything confirmed, but the whole arrangement is going on to start the flights from mid-August,” he said.

Steele, a British citizen, is, however, leaving Biman on April 19, eleven months before his contract tenure ends.

Biman’s New York flights were grounded in 2006. Although the FAA listed Biman as a category 2 carrier on December 2, 1997, it did not stop Biman’s flights as it had allocated a regular slot for the flights.

Restarting Biman’s flights to New York was an election pledge of the Awami League before the 2008 general election, but Sheikh Hasina’s government failed to fulfil the promise.

The FAA is scheduled to visit Dhaka later this month but as the other arrangement has not yet completed, the Biman authority may request them to reschedule the visit, Steele said.

The Biman MD had planned to lease two Boeing aircraft from category 1 Egypt Airlines for the route, but the board changed that decision as

Biman currently has four brand new Boeing 777s.

When contacted about the resumption of the Dhaka-NY flights, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon told the Dhaka Tribune that resuming the flights was a top priority of his ministry.

“Biman will fly on this route soon again. But we have to follow some formalities before that happens,” he said.

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