New Boeing joins the fleet
We take the news of a new Boeing aircraft of a very modern vintage joining the fleet of the national carrier with good cheer but not without a pinch of salt. This is the first of the 10 new aircraft from the US manufacturer to be purchased at a cost of more than Taka 17 billion. The others are supposed to join the fleet by 2017.
While we should be pleased to have a brand new aircraft in the fleet, given that all the aircraft in the tiny fleet have been outdated by decades or are leased aircraft that are almost obsolescent, our hopes are dampened by the state of the severely mismanaged Biman. And this has been made very clear by the parliamentary standing committee from time to time to the Biman management.
No doubt that Biman's service has suffered severely due to shortage of planes, but there is more to merely shortage of aircraft that has added to the present pathetic state of Biman. We have watched helplessly how Biman's area of operation has shrunk, and if people have preferred other airlines it has been for good reasons. We have seen how airlines with modest beginning and carrying much less passengers and goods than Biman only two decades ago have outdone it in every way.
This is the time to develop a long-term strategy for resuscitating the flag carrier. Lost destinations and passengers will have to be regained. We feel that unless the huge investment in new aircraft is matched by correspondingly enhanced quality of management, prevention of wastage and corruption, downsizing the bloated and top heavy establishment, we are not sure whether mere addition to the fleet would enhance Biman's performance significantly.
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