Biman to procure three aircraft from Canada
Biman Bangladesh Airlines (BBA) has constituted a high-powered committee aiming to purchase three Bombardier Dash 8 Q400NG aircraft on US$ 70 million credit from Canada, officials said.
The committee will negotiate and finalise agreements with the Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC), Export Development Canada (EDC) and Bombardier Inc., Canada’s largest aerospace company, for purchasing and financing of three aircraft, they added.
The procurement mechanism would be implemented under government-to-government (G2G) arrangements.
The three aircraft would be released at the end of 2018. The price of the three aircraft is about US$ 70 million.
The board of directors of Biman Bangladesh Airlines in its meeting took the decision to procure the three aircraft from Canada.
Bombardier, the world’s third largest plane maker, is headquartered in Montréal, Canada.
The management of the national flag carrier took decision to obtain French-Italian-based ATR 72 and Dash 8 Q400 aircraft.
Later, the management chose to procure Dash 8 Q400 aircraft instead of ATR 72, Shakil Meraj, General Manager (Public Relations) and focal point of BBA, told the FE on Wednesday.
A committee has already been formed for negotiation and finalisation of the deal to purchase three Canadian aircraft. Sovereign guarantee would be taken if necessary, he said.
With new aircraft, the flight operation on local and regional routes will be smoother. The frequency of flight cancellation will be reduced significantly if the three Bombardier Dash 8 Q400NG aircraft join the fleet, a source concerned said.
