The process of hiring two wide-body Boeing-747 aircraft is under way to carry hajj pilgrims to Saudi Arabia, the civil aviation and tourism minister told the parliament yesterday.
GM Quader replying to a query from Awami League lawmaker ABM Abul Kashem said the two Boeing aircrafts would add to the Bangladesh Biman fleet to carry the pilgrims.
The minister also told the House that arrangements to carry around 60,000 hajj pilgrims have been made this year.
Replying to a query from AL lawmaker Moshtak Ahmed Ruhi, the minister said Biman made a profit of Tk 5.91 crore in fiscal year 2007-08 after it had been turned into a public limited company.
The civil aviation and tourism minister replying to another question said a total of around 2,65,905 foreign passport holders visited Bangladesh until December, 2008 of FY 2008-09 and the government has earned US$ 88.07 million dollars from this sector.
The minister hopes the earning will be increased to US$ 92.50 million in the next financial year.