PM to launch 3rd 787 Dreamliner on Thursday

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the operation of Biman Bangladesh Airlines’ 3rd Boeing 787 Dreamliner, named “Gangchil”, on Thursday.

The inauguration ceremony is scheduled to be held at 11.30am at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

The new aircraft will start operating commercially with its first flight to Abu Dhabi at 5.30pm that same day. This was confirmed by Tahera Khondoker, deputy general manager of Biman.

This aircraft landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on July 25. This is the ninth aircraft that Biman has purchased for more than Tk1,000 crore with financing from the state owned Sonali Bank.

According to Biman’s route plan, this brand new 271-seat aircraft will operate on international routes including London, Dubai and Kuala Lumpur.

Sources at Biman say that the addition of this new aircraft has taken Biman’s total fleet of aircraft to 15.

In 2008, Biman Bangladesh made a $2.1 billion deal to buy 10 aircrafts, including four Dreamliners, from world-renowned manufacturer Boeing. This was the ninth delivery of this order. Earlier, Biman had already received delivery of eight, including two 787 Dreamliners, the latest model aircraft, said a senior Biman executive.

The fourth Boeing 787 Dreamliner will be delivered next month. Sonali Bank financed around Tk 2,000 crore for purchasing both the aircraft.

Biman is planning to resume flights to the USA soon as part of its new route plan after inclusion of the two new aircraft, said a senior executive of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism.

The Civil Aviation Authority is trying to improve security measures to upgrade the airport to “A” category to start flights to the USA, he said.

A joint team from Biman and the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism visited Seattle, USA to take delivery of the aircraft from its manufacturer Boeing.