National flag carrier Bangladesh Airlines needs aircraft. And so Biman has also been busy procuring new aircraft. But the problem is whether Biman will buy Airbus or Boeing aircraft for its fleet.
And a new information has emerged in this discussion. According to the information, if the aircraft goes to a mixed fleet (Boeing and Airbus) then the company will incur a loss of Tk 1,800 crore.
Boeing, the US aircraft manufacturer, says that Boeing has detailed studies on this. Their study says that if Biman builds a mixed fleet, there will be an additional loss of 150 million dollars over the next 20 years. This extra money will be spent mainly on training, maintenance, spare parts and training of pilots. If a fleet consists of 10 Boeing 787 and 10 Airbus A350 aircraft, more pilots will be required.
According to Boeing, airlines with mixed fleets have a different calculation. For example, Indigo is buying Airbus to save on mixed fleet costs. As they already have Airbus in their fleet. However, this will not apply to aircraft. Boeing says why Biman will spend 150 million dollars more on building a mixed fleet.
According to CAAB audit, Bangladesh's airports handled about one crore international passengers in 2022, Airbus says. In 2019, this number was a little over 85 lakh. By 2031, the number of passengers in Bangladesh airspace will double. To achieve this new passenger capacity, the airline will need a large number of aircraft.
Biman's purchase of aircraft from Airbus came into discussion during the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to Bangladesh in September last year. From then on, Boeing's race to sell aircraft began. Boeing has long been negotiating with Biman to sell new aircraft. But when it was seen that Biman had advanced a lot to get Airbus aircraft, then their arrival and departure by plane also increased. Apart from Boeing officials, US Ambassador to Dhaka Peter Haas also met with Biman.
Meanwhile, Biman has already set up a committee to take forward the entire process, including proposal vetting and negotiation, regarding the purchase of Airbus. Based on the report of that committee, Biman will proceed. It has been found that Biman has advanced a lot regarding the purchase of Airbus.
Boeing's vice president of sales and marketing for India and South Asia Ryan Wyer, managing director of marketing for Eurasia and Indian subcontinent Ashwin Naidu and Boeing sales director Kanti Bhubnagiri spoke to reporters.
In a press conference a few days ago, the Ambassador of France in Dhaka clarified that an agreement will be reached in this regard before Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's next visit to France.
Boeing says that if Biman transports passengers with the 787 Dreamliner, it will make them more than 5 million US dollars a year. In addition, the Dreamliner will use 6 percent less fuel, reduce maintenance costs by 30 percent, and offer lower-cost aircraft than Boeing's competitors.
Biman has offered to sell four 787 Dreamliners and two 777 Freighters (wide body freighters).
They gave Biman all kinds of evidence about Bangladesh's concern over Boeing's security issue. Besides, they also proposed to bring an expert from the United States to Dhaka if necessary to be more sure about the matter.
Boeing is saying that it could be due to the recent windshield breakage of Biman's 787 Dreamliner aircraft. But they don't believe it's a product quality issue because an airplane moves through different conditions. Because of this, the windshield can unfortunately become cracked.
The national flag airlines currently have 12 only Boeing aircraft. These aircraft were purchased at a cost of around Tk. 19 thousand crores.
Is the profit and loss due to the plane?
Aviation experts say, due to lack of proper planning, 100% of these Boeing planes are not being used. We have not been able to launch new routes according to this fleet, besides there is shortage of other manpower including pilots. Those concerned say that all this has happened due to the poor planning and management of the aircraft.
What is the plane saying?
Shafiul Azim, managing director and CEO of Biman, says that the major airlines of the world have aircraft of both Boeing and Airbus companies. Moreover, if Airbus is bought, it will reduce the dependence on Boeing alone.
"Airline network will be expanded when new aircrafts arrive. More flights to Canada will be increased, New York flights will be launched, he added.
What the experts say
However, aviation experts disagree with the statement of the aviation authority. They say Biman will have to spend a lot of money to train pilots, cabin crew and engineers for the new company's aircraft. And aircraft are still not able to fully utilize their current capabilities.