Biman Bangladesh Airlines is expecting to resume flights to the USA within this year after upgrading the existing category of Bangladesh's aviation regulator.

At present, Biman or any other airlines from Bangladesh are not allowed to fly to the USA as the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) placed the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (Caab) in category 2.

Caab was downgraded after the FAA found irregularities in its operational activities in an investigation in December 1997.

As Biman's Dhaka-New York flight was continuing, the FAA allowed it to operate until Biman stopped operation on the route in 2006 due to huge loss.

"We are expecting an audit by the FAA in October and hope to achieve Category-1 status by the FAA," Civil Aviation Minister Rashed Khan Menon said today at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

The minister made the remarks while talking to journalists after awarding certificates to the Caab inspectors who successfully completed government safety inspector courses conducted by the FAA.

Menon also said a restructured organogram for Caab, creating over 5,000 manpower for the civil aviation regulator and enactment of Caab laws which are pre-requisite to achieve category-1 status by the FAA will be completed within next one month.

He said the training to the inspectors by the FAA will enable them to implement the flight safety rules and regulations properly and this will help Caab achieve the FAA category-1. 

Asked about Biman managing director's observation that Dhaka-New York flight will incur loss for Biman, Menon said he does not think so as expatriate Bangladeshis will support it.

He also said commercial issues should not be considered always, adding that Dhaka-New York flights have political and social issues and it involves emotion of the expatriates.