Dhaka-Toronto: Biman not launching direct flight

Biman Bangladesh Airlines will not operate a direct flight on Dhaka-Toronto route considering that it is not commercially viable.

The authorities of the national flag carrier yesterday told The Daily Star that the long-waited flight will be operated with a stopover in any of the European or Asian countries for getting extra passengers and refuelling.

"Because of the stopover, we will be able to refuel the aircraft and get extra passengers from that destination [the third country]. It will make the route commercially viable," Abu Saleh Mostafa Kamal, managing director and CEO of Biman, told The Daily Star.

He also said operation cost of the Toronto flight will be reduced due to the refuelling opportunity and Biman will be able to carry more passengers.

"Therefore, Biman will be able to cut the airfare of the Toronto flight, and this will build competitiveness with other foreign airlines on this route."

Biman on March 26 operated an "experimental commercial" flight on Dhaka-Toronto-Dhaka route amid criticism from different quarters as the passengers included 35 to 40 government officials and two MPs who flew at the expense of public money.

Besides the officials and lawmakers, 36 general passengers boarded the plane from Dhaka and only six were on the flight back, said Biman sources.

Mahbub Jahan Khan, director (corporate planning and training) of Biman, at a press conference held hours before the flight stated that around Tk 4 crore would cost to operate the direct fight.

Biman used its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to operate the experimental flight on this long-haul route that takes around 16 to 17 hours without any stopover, Biman officials said.

Although the aircraft has 298 seats, it will be able to carry only 120 to 130 passengers on its direct flight to Toronto considering fuel and luggage capacity and other factors, said Abu Saleh Mostafa Kamal.

The aircraft, however, will be able to carry around 210 passengers on the flight back to Dhaka, he added.

The experimental flight's ticket price for the round trip was Tk 1,20,647 in Economy class, Tk 1,83,530 in premium economy class and Tk 2,68,547 in business class.

The airfare will go up during the full operation of commercial flights.

Aviation expert ATM Nazrul Islam raised the question whether passengers, specially students and many Bangladeshis living in Canada, will choose Biman for the route paying extra $ 200 to $ 300 in the premium economy class compared to other airlines.

"Has Biman conducted any market analysis or study on the choice of the passengers before fixing its fare?" he also asked.

Sources at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport said Turkish, Qatar and Emirates airlines are now operating flights to Canada with a stopover offering airfares lower than that of Biman.

The Biman MD told this correspondent that calculating different variables on the basis of the "proven flight" of March 26, they have decided not to operate a direct flight on this route as "it would not be commercially viable".

Biman has formed a committee to identify which destination will be commercially suitable for the national flag carrier for the stopover, he added.

Primarily, the Biman chief said, they were considering stopover in Germany or any other European country or Tashkent.

"We have already set up a Biman office in Canada and a process is also underway to appoint general sales agent. We will fix all those matters before launching of the commercial flight by June."

About the March 26 flight, he said it was a successful mission as Biman has been able to fulfil all the requirements of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, which operates Toronto Pearson International Airport, and Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh.

Asked why there were only six general passengers on the return flight, the Biman MD said, it was one way and in Canada, this was the lean period for travel.

He added that they were trying to get the fifth freedom privilege from Canadian authorities.

In the context of commercial aviation, a fifth freedom flight means an airline from one country flies between two other countries, with the right to transport passengers between them, according to onemileatatime.com.

"If we can avail this, this route will be economically viable," he said.