NEW YORK- Biman Bangladesh Airlines (BG) has expressed its intention to commence flights to New York (JFK) and other important United States (US) cities once it receives regulatory approval confirming its compliance with ICAO standards.
The airline has officially notified the US Department of Transportation (DOT) about its plans to operate flights between Dhaka (DAC) and New York JFK, with a stopover in Izmir (ADB), Turkey.
Biman Bangladesh New York Flights
The proposed service would operate five times a week, utilizing Boeing 787-9 aircraft with a total of 298 seats and three classes, including 30 business-class and 21 premium-economy seats.
Biman is aware that the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) currently categorizes Bangladesh as a ‘Category 2’ country, indicating that its regulatory oversight does not meet ICAO standards. As a result, the airline is currently unable to operate its own aircraft on routes to the United States.
Biman Bangladesh Airlines has stated that it believes collaborative efforts between the FAA and the Bangladeshi civil aviation authority will lead to an upgrade from ‘Category 2’ to ‘Category 1’ in the near future.
In the event of such an upgrade occurring, Biman would have the capability to operate its own aircraft on flights to the United States, subject to approval from the Department of Transportation.
Biman has also expressed interest in potential future US routes, including destinations like Boston, Houston, Los Angeles, Dallas, Newark, and Washington.
These cities could be served through various intermediate points, such as Abu Dhabi, Rome, Brussels, Manchester, Birmingham, Istanbul, Amsterdam, and Delhi, in addition to Izmir.
Airbus Orders
The junior minister for civil aviation in Bangladesh, Mahbub Ali, informed Reuters on Monday, 19 June 2023, that Biman Bangladesh Airlines, a state-owned carrier, has decided to buy ten aircraft from Airbus. This marks a shift from their predominantly Boeing fleet.
“As per our requirement, the decision has been taken to purchase ten Airbus aircraft in phases. The technical committee is assessing now,” Mahbub Ali, junior minister for civil aviation in Bangladesh, said.
This announcement follows reports that the airline is nearing a deal to procure ten Airbus A350 widebody planes. This can be their first order from the French aircraft manufacturer.
According to Ali, each country has a fleet that includes both Boeing and Airbus. However, our fleet does not include any Airbus planes. The airline wants to decrease its reliance on Boeing. US planemaker right now fulfills most of the orders for widebody aircraft and is the largest U.S. aircraft manufacturer.
This 51-year-old airline operates a fleet of more than 20 aircraft, primarily consisting of Boeing planes. Over half of them are widebodies. Additionally, they have several Dash-8 turboprops.
Stay tuned with us. Further, follow us on social media for the latest updates.
Join us on Telegram Group for the Latest Aviation Updates. Subsequently, follow us on Google News.