Biman Bangladesh Airlines, the national airline of Bangladesh, is wholly owned by the Government of the country. The airline's main hub is located at Zia International Airport, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Biman Bangladesh Airlines operates domestic services as well as international flights to Asia, and Europe. A member of IATA, the airline came into existence on January 04, 1972, under the Bangladesh Biman ordinance. It initially started its operations with Second World War vintage Dakota, DC-3, which was gifted by Bangladesh Airforce. Go through the following lines to get information on the history and profile of Biman Bangladesh Airlines.
History
Biman Bangladesh Airlines was initially called Air Bangladesh International, but was soon renamed to the present name. The airline started its domestic services within one month of its inception, in 1972. The initial domestic services were on the Dhaka�Chittagong, Dhaka�Jessore and Dhaka�Sylhet routes. The airline started its international operations soon, by plying once-a-week flights to London. The daily flights from Dhaka to Kolkata (India) were started by the airline in April 1972. The service was increased to twice a day service after the airline purchased four Fokker F27s aircrafts from Australia and the Netherlands.
Biman Bangladesh Airlines extended its operations to Bangkok, Kathmandu and Dubai in 1974. In order to increase its international service to Mumbai, Abud Dhabi and Karachi, the airline purchased one more Boeing 707 aircraft. It also acquired four F-27 aircrafts. In 1977, the airline came under the ownership of Bangladesh Government and thus, it was changed into a public sector corporation, governed by a Board of Directors, which was appointed by the Government of the country.
In 1983, the airline went on to expand its business, with the induction of three DC10-30s into its fleet. This was the time, when Boeing 707 started to phase out from the fleet of the airline. Over the passing years, the rise of private players in the civil aviation industry of Bangladesh has resulted in a decline in the market share of Biman Bangladesh Airlines. Nonetheless, the airline continues its operations and plies flights to both domestic and international routes.
Destinations And Fleet
Most of Biman Bangladesh Airlines' destinations are served with either non-stop or one stop service. Currently, the airline plies flights to a number of destinations in Middle East, East Asia (Hong Kong), South Asia (including Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan) and Southwest Asian countries of the world, the airline plies flights to Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi and Dubai. It plies flights to only two destinations in Europe - Rome and London. In India, Biman Bangladesh Airlines currently flies to Kolkata. The terminated flight to Delhi, the capital city of India, is soon going to be resumed.
In addition to the aforementioned destinations, the airline plies special flights to Makkah Al Mukarramah, during the annual Islamic pilgrimage for Hajj. Although the government of Bangladesh opened the service to private operator - Air Bangladesh - in 2002, the monopoly of plying Hajj flights was eventually returned to Biman Bangladesh Airlines. Biman Bangladesh Airlines operates with a fleet of 9 aircraft, including Airbus A310-300, Fokker F28 Mk4000 and McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30.
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