Biman starts feasibility study for Dhaka-Toronto flight
(MENAFN- Bangladesh Monitor)
Dhaka: Biman Bangladesh airlines has formed a committee to conduct a feasibility study to assess the viability of its Dhaka-Toronto flight with a view to operating indirect flights with a stopover instead of its previously announced direct flights.
The authorities recently came to the decision that direct flights on this long haul route would not be commercially viable.
This shows the airline did not conduct a thorough feasibility study before announcing they would operate direct flights on the route from June.
However, earlier, high officials of Biman had claimed that a feasibility study on the route had been conducted and supported that it would be profitable.
Even after the direct test flight on March 26, Biman claimed that the Dhaka-Toronto route had been successful and that it was commercially viable to operate direct flights.
Two days later, the flag carrier backtracked and said that it would not operate direct flights on the Dhaka-Toronto route considering that it was not commercially viable due to fuel constraints.
They would need a stopover in a European or Asian country to refuel and carry enough passengers to be viable, Biman added.
Nevertheless, on April 4, Biman issued an office order to form a four-member committee to conduct a detailed feasibility study on the restructuring of the Dhaka-Toronto route. Biman Director (Flight Operations) Capt ABM Ismail was named Chief of the committee.
The committee has been given seven days to submit its report with specific recommendations to the Biman MD and CEO Abu Saleh Mostafa Kamal.
They have been asked to determine a suitable technical landing point in terms of fuel and other costs with a view to maximising the number of passengers and cargo that can be carried.
In addition to adding a stopover that would allow the airline carry more passengers, Biman has decided to reduce the air fare on the route to be competitive with other airlines.
Earlier, the one-way fare for direct flights on the route was expected to be BDT 75,830 and BDT 126,000 for roundtrips.
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