Dhaka, Sept 25 – Biman Bangladesh Airlines is going to have its second Dreamliner in the last week of November this year, an official with the state owned carrier told Journalists.
The exact date of receiving the aircraft hasn’t been fixed yet, said Shakil Meraj, the General Manager (PR) of the airlines, “But we were informed by the manufacturer Boeing that it will be delivered on the last week of November,” he said.
The Dreamliner—manufactured by the aviation giant Boeing under the production name Boeing 787-8— comes with state-of-the-art technology that only some top airlines could add to their fleets as yet.
Bangladesh got its first Dreamliner delivered on August 18 this year. The aircraft has started its journey in Dhaka-Kualalampur route on September 5.
The new Dreamliner offers facilities such as wi-fi and telephone calls. Passengers will also be able to live stream nine channels, including the BBC and CNN.
Shakil said the 787 Dreamliner is Boeing’s most fuel-efficient aircraft and it is environment-friendly as it consumes about 20% less fuel compared to other aircraft.
“Once fuelled, it can fly for 16 hours non-stop. So, we will hopefully operate flights directly from Dhaka to New York using them.”
Operating flights to the US requires having “Category 1” rating from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), but Bangladesh is now in “Category 2,” the Biman general manager said, hoping to have an upgrade soon.
The FAA slapped a ban on Bangladesh in the absence of the rating in 1996. Biman suspended its operation on the route since then.
“We are planning to fly to new destinations like Guangzhou, Colombo and Male and resume flights to New Delhi and Hong Kong. We also have plans for Manchester, Rome and Sydney which will be expedited once we get the new aircraft,” said Shakil. – Staff Reporter
