Mashiur Rahaman

The state-owned Biman has failed to re-establish air link with North African oil-rich country Libya in current winter schedule due to shortage of aircraft, a well-placed Biman official told the FE.

In its announced winter schedule plan, the national flag carrier did not include its planned flight to Tripoli while Libyan national airlines -- Afriqiyah Airways-started direct flight to Dhaka from October 27.

"Biman has lost its potential market to the Afriqiyah Airways," a senior official within Biman's schedule planning department said to the FE.

He blamed shortage of aircraft for this failure that put the Biman authority in a very tough situation for last couple of months in maintaining its schedule to 18 destinations across the globe.

Targeting the growing employment markets, the officer said that a four-member delegation headed by General Manager of marketing Abdullah Al-Hasan travelled to Libya in July 2009 and signed a ground handling agreement with Libyan authority.

"Despite huge market demand, Biman failed to conquer the market as it failed to obtain leased aircraft on time," he explained.

Biman suspended its air link with Libya following sanction on the country in early '90s.

"We are yet to receive a wide-body Airbus 320 and three Boeing 737 aircraft from foreign leasing companies," he said adding that the Airbus was due to arrive in March 2009 and the due dates of delivering the two Boeing aircraft had also expired.

Bangladeshi manpower employment in the oil-rich state started to gain pace following relaxation of the US-led sanction.