For the first time in the country's history, Biman Bangladesh Airlines has earned the capabilities to carry out C-check, a major maintenance work of the state-of-the-art Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, in the country with its management.

"It will save around $6 lakh [over Tk 5 crore] for Biman for each of the aircraft," State Minister for Civil Aviation M Mahbub Ali said while speaking at a function held at Biman Bangladesh Airlines headquarter Balaka in the capital.

The programme was organised to mark the successful completion of the C-check of Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner and the awarding the pilots and cabin crews of Biman who has operated flights to repatriate stranded Bangladeshis from Wuhan, China at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.

C-Check is a long-term, complex and high-tech check to make the aircraft airworthy after detailed inspection by unveiling the aircraft's various infrastructure.

This maintenance check is much extensive, requiring a majority of the aircraft's components to be inspected. C-check is usually carried out in a hangar at a maintenance base.

Mahbub Ali said in the past Biman had to spend lots of foreign currency to complete a C-check in different countries.

From now on, the successful completion of C-check in the country will save an estimated $6 lakh per aircraft.

The C-check of Boeing-787-8 Dreamliner has to be completed every three years.

Following this, Biman started the first C-check of a Dreamliner "Akashveena" on August 17 which was successfully completed within 10 days.

The C-check of another Dreamliner will be completed this year and four more Dreamliner in the next year which will save $ 3-4 million.

Mahbub Ali said very few airlines in the world have the capability to C-check modern aircraft like the Dreamliner.

Earlier, Biman carried out a C-check of its aircraft through foreign MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul Organisation) in Germany, Italy or Singapore.

"Completing of Dreamliner's C-check with its own manpower and management is a shining example of increasing Biman's capacity," he said.

Chairman of the Board of Directors, Biman, Sajjadul Hasan; Secretary, Civil Aviation Ministry, Mokammel Hossain, among others also addressed the programme.