Biman offers chartered domestic flight services

Biman Bangladesh Airlines on Thursday offered chartered domestic flight services until restoring of regular flight operations to reduce its huge losses due to over two months of flight suspension amid coronavirus pandemic.

“We’ve taken the decision to reduce our losses … anyone can charter Dash aircraft of Biman for domestic routes from Friday for family trips, at a cost of Tk 300,000 to Tk 500,000 depending on the distance,” civil aviation and tourism secretary M Mohibul Haque told news agency BSS Thursday evening.

The senior secretary said the national flag carrier has decided to offer the charter flight service till restoration of full-fledged regular flight operations as one of its two Dash aircrafts has been kept idle even after resumption of domestic flight operation in limited scale from 1 June.

Bangladesh resumed its domestic flight operation on 1 June on three internal routes on Dhaka from and to Chattogram, Sylhet and Syedpur after more than two months’ suspension.

But Biman was forced to cancel all its scheduled domestic flights until 6 June after operating only one flight on the first day of flight resumption due to lack of passengers.

However, two private carriers -- US-Bangla Airlines and Novoair -- have been operating domestic flights on the three destinations from Dhaka with on average 70 to 80 per cent passengers after keeping 30 per cent of seats vacant for maintaining social distancing as per health guideline prescribed by the CAAB.

Initially, the charter flight service is offered on Dhaka from and to Chattogram, Sylhet and Syedpur routes, Mohibul Haque said adding that it would be soon available to other four domestic destinations – Cox’s Bazar, Rajshahi, Jashore and Barishal – whenever those airports are prepared to operate as per health guidelines of the Civil Aviation Authority, Bangladesh (CAAB).

The national flag carrier has so far incurred nearly Tk 10 billion loss in four months from February to May due to the outbreak of coronavirus.

To reduce its losses due to flight suspension, Haque said, Biman is also operating cargo flights to different countries through its passenger aircraft.

The civil aviation secretary said Biman has earned Tk 400 million of revenue from the cargo flights and chartered flights operated on several international routes in last two months amid regular flight suspension.

For the first time in Biman’s history the national flag carrier has offered chartered flights on domestic routes, sources in Biman said.

Anyone could charter Biman aircrafts for a roundtrip with five-hour ground time from Dhaka to domestic destinations, Biman’s spokesperson Tahera Khandaker said.

“After five hours of ground time, additional charges will have to be paid,” said Kandace, deputy general manager (public relations) of the national carrier.