Chief_Adviser
Number of posts : 615
Age : 40
City/Town : in ur heart .
Registration date : 2008-06-10
 |  Subject: Biman eyes Singapore Airlines...................  Thu Sep 18, 2008 11:25 am | |
|  Biman, which has bled billions in recent years thanks to chronic inefficiency, is wooing Singapore Airlines in its frantic search for a strategic partner to manage the failing flag carrier, a top official said on Wednesday.
Ziaul Huq Mamun, who sits on the board of directors, said the state-owned airline would also "target" Emirates, British Airways, Qatar Airways and Thai Airways.
"But Singapore Airlines and Emirates would be our priority," said Mamun, clearly on an ambitious flight to catch one of the two top award-winning airlines.
The foreign airline, he said, could opt for a stake in Biman or just take responsibility for management.
"We are giving priority to management. An efficient chief executive officer can take an airline ahead with his leadership.
"But it is difficult to find out an efficient CEO," Mamun said on the day a new chief executive named by its own board took over.
A former regulatory official with no experience in business management was appointed to the top Biman job of managing director Tuesday.
Retired air commodore Zahed Kuddus took charge Wednesday.
Mamun said he hoped Singapore Airlines would give its decision by the end of this year.
About two months ago, Biman's board had formed a committee headed by civil aviation and tourism secretary to find a foreign partner, Mamun said.
Chief adviser's special assistant Mahbub Zamil, who oversees civil aviation and tourism ministry, on Tuesday said, "We have already taken steps to run Biman by a foreign airline through a partnership."
The special assistant said a new CEO was likely to be appointed if a foreign airline took over the management.
The government turned Biman into a public limited company in July last year and forced 1863 of its employees to go on retirement through the so-called golden handshake programme.
Currently the airline employs about 3,000 employees.
The national flag carrier operates flights on 17 international routes with 14 aircraft – five DC-10s, four F-28s, three Airbus and two Boeing—in its fleet.
Six out of the 14 aircrafts were now out of operation, a senior Biman official said Wednesday.
The airline stopped flying to nine international destinations including New York, Paris, Frankfurt and Mumbai in last one and a half years.
According to the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, Biman counted $ 1.20 crore (Tk 84 crore) in losses in fiscal year 2007-08. The amount of loss of the airline was $ 8 crore (Tk 560 crore in current prices) until 2006-07.
In June, Biman singed a $ 2.5 billion deal with US-based aircraft manufacturer Boeing to buy 10 aircraft. | |
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