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Biman Bangladesh Airlines plans to launch direct flights between Dhaka and Toronto in the middle of 2022, using its four Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft to carry passengers through the polar route – crossing uninhabited ice cap regions.
Along with travellers, the airline also plans to transport goods to Canada and New York, Biman authorities told The Business Post, adding that the route is quite profitable.
Member (Flight Standard and Regulations) of Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) Group Captain Chy M Zia Ul Kabir said on the matter, “We have completed about 95 per cent of the procedure for operating direct flights between Dhaka and Toronto.
“A team of our Canadian counterparts recently visited Bangladesh to inspect air safety and other possible security issues here. We have met all of their criteria, and are now waiting for a green signal from our counterpart.”
No Bangladeshi airlines – both state-owned and private – are offering flights in the Dhaka-Toronto route at this time, and flights offered by foreign airlines take around 22-25 hours to complete a one-way journey due to transits.
Biman’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft will shorten the travel distance, and save airfare, maintenance costs, and fuel, Biman sources said.
Managing Director and CEO of Biman Bangladesh Airlines Ltd Abu Saleh Mostafa Kamal said, “We are ready to start operating flights under the Air Agreement between Bangladesh and Canada.”
According to this deal, Biman will operate the Dhaka-Canada-Dhaka route, and then Air Canada will transfer the passengers between Toronto’s Pearson Airport and New York of USA.
Biman is currently negotiating for a GSA (general sales agent) in Canada to sell air tickets, and it will also set up a regional office there.
In July 2020, Biman announced the introduction of a new route to Toronto. Though these flights were initially scheduled to fly three times a week from October 2020, the launching of this route has faced multiple delays.
An unofficial estimate says around 120,000 Bangladeshis are now residing in Canada, of which about 60,000 are in Toronto city.
Besides, a significant number of Bangladeshis live in Montreal, Vancouver and Ottawa, who are employed in government and private office jobs, business, retail and services, media reports say.
Bangladesh exported $1.30 billion worth of goods/services to Canada in the 2021 FY, says data from the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB).
