A Bangladeshi government taskforce has proposed splitting Biman Bangladesh Airlines (BG, Dhaka) into two parts, with one part managed by the existing management team and a hived-off part managed by a foreign airline. The government would then assess the performance of the two entities before deciding on the future of the state-owned airline.
Dr Wahiduddin Mahmud of the Economic Strategy Realignment Taskforce briefed reporters in Dhaka about the idea on February 3. He said that Biman Bangladesh Airlines had failed to provide a competitive service in its 50 years of operations and modernisation strategies were required, as was a rethink of the flag carrier's commercial viability. The 12-person taskforce, established last year, proposes reforms aimed at stabilising and advancing Bangladesh's economy.
"Its continued existence has largely depended on serving a captive market of migrant labourers, many of whom have reported poor and inadequate services," Mahmud said, before going on to describe Biman Bangladesh Airlines as "worthless" and "deplorable."
As reported in the Dhaka Tribune, the taskforce has proposed dividing Biman into two entities. "Both entities will have equal opportunities, and we will assess which one performs better,” Mahmud said. One company, "independently managed by a world-class entity," would take some of Biman's existing assets and routes and operate as a standalone, rebadged carrier. The other, smaller airline would continue using what remains of the fleet and network. If one or the other under-performs, the government would shut it down.
"A world-class company like Singapore Airlines or Qatar Airways should be appointed to operate half of Biman's functions," he said. "The rest will be operated by our existing company. Then we can realise which one is better to make the state-owned company viable."
ch-aviation has contacted Biman Bangladesh Airlines for comment on Mahmud's proposal.
