Planning Adviser Dr Wahiduddin Mahmud on Monday termed Biman Bangladesh Airlines a frail organisation which incurred losses year after year.
“That (incurring loss) should not be, other airliners make profits, why Biman is under this deplorable condition,” he asked.
The adviser was speaking at the press briefing on the recently submitted report of a task-force to develop strategies to boost the economy and mobilise resources for equitable and sustainable development at the NEC conference room in the planning ministry.
He said that the Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus asked to find a way to make Biman a profitable organisation.
“He asked to make Biman a modern and commercially profitable organisation if we want to show something within this short period of time,” he said.
But here we have a more beautiful proposal in the report of the task-force.
The report stated that For over half a century, Bangladesh Biman, the national airline, has failed to meet modern aviation standards and performance benchmarks.
Its continued existence has largely depended on serving a captive market of migrant labourers, many of whom have reported poor service and inadequate services.
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To ensure that Biman becomes a competitive player in the airline industry,
the report proposed that the government must establish clear and measurable performance targets.
“Should Biman consistently fall short, we propose creating an entirely new airline-tentatively named Bangladesh Airways-utilising half of Biman's existing assets, but managed by an independent, world-class management company.”
This dual-structure approach allows both airlines to target distinct markets and routes and foster healthy competition.
If either airline fails to meet performance standards over a designated period, it must be permitted to exit the market, ensuring accountability and efficient service for travellers, the report said.
The adviser also ridiculed the concept to make a Air Force man as the chairman of Biman Bangladesh Airlines.
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“This is a wrong concept, but Biman is a commercial entity, Biman is an industry, this is not anything related with flying fighter jet, this a specialised business,” he said.
Defending the proposal to hire a foreign national as the managing director of the airliner, he said that there is not much people in the country. “That why it is stated that managing director would be hired from foreign country,” he added.
He admitted that the vested quarter would not allow the government to do that, that’s why the proposal has been given to divide it and hire the foreign managing director.
“After that we will find who has what weakness,” he said adding the proposal is a very good one.