Aparajita Banerjee

I'm sharing this with Indian colleagues who think India is the most expensive place to live in South Asia!

It costs $6.6 per barrel to supply oil from the Middle East to Dinajpur (the northern most part of Bangladesh). It will cost $5.5 per barrel to import from India. Bangladesh will make a saving of $1.1 per barrel. Why are you complaining? Do you think companies are run like charities? Its a good deal. If you have a better idea you should contact BPC!

I pointed out two Bangladeshis and NOT every Bangladeshi. I asked those people to point out specific allegations. @Darth Nihilus is too dumb to give me specifics because he probably heard about the tales of corruption from his retired uncle who happens to be a BNP lover. @Zoro96 thinks he is intelligent, he injects disinformation in supposedly innocent discussions. He is the more sinister of the two. He is using fake email accounts, but what for? Don't try to defend them. Jamat-e-Islami exists because those in power went soft on Basherkella types.

Its not that funny because it has real world repercussions. Britain is trying to redirect IS-brides to Bangladesh but it was rejected strongly by the Bangladeshi government.

Gentlemen you must keep a tight leash on these extremists because they move and talk like Pakistani agents with an ax to grind against Bangladeshi authorities.

Convicted terrorist of Bangladeshi-origin sets ‘meeting Allah’ at 7th position on his to-do list for heaven Top of his list was to choose his main palace, consummate his relationship with 72 wives A man convicted of planning terror attacks in London had set “meeting Allah” as his seventh priority in his "to-do list" after reaching heaven, reported BBC. Mohiussunnath Chowdhury, a Bangladeshi origin chicken shop worker convicted of planning the terror attacks, marked his top priority in heaven with choosing his main palace, meeting and consummating his relationship with his 72 wives, and feasting with family and friends. Only later - seventh on the list - would he find time to meet Allah; and his 10th task in the hereafter was "choose quests to embark on." According to the report, investigators found that Chowdhury had collected knives for an attack, looked into firearms training and made a list of what he was going to do when he got to heaven. Entitled: "Plans for Jannah (Heaven in Arabic)" the list details: • Tour entire property in Jannah and choose main palace • Meet all wives and name and choose main 2 • Decorate main palace • Meet all family and feast • Meet all friends and feast • Meet all Ambiya [prophets] and Sahaba [companions of Prophet Mohammed (Pbuh)] • Meet Allah [God] • Visit Jannah market • Spend time with wives • Choose quests to embark upon • New form of entertainments Mohiussunnath - or Musa - Chowdhury was obsessive about quests in which he played the part of a heroic martyr doing God's work on earth, said the report. He prepared for "martyrdom" by planning for attacks on Madame Tussauds wax museum in London, a Gay Pride parade and an open-top tour bus. The list is surrounded by verses from the Quran, sayings from Islam’s Prophet Mohammed (Pbuh) and a scarcely legible definition of heaven. The 28-year-old former Uber driver has been convicted of preparation for an act of terrorism, collecting information useful to someone preparing an act of terrorism and disseminating terrorist publications after an undercover police operation that lasted five months. Sneha Chowdhury, his sister, was also convicted of failing to disclose information about acts of terrorism. Mohiussunnath has now faced trial three times for terrorism plotting - and the final prosecution has led to his conviction and possible life sentence. In August 2017, he drove to Buckingham Palace and, carrying a samurai-style sword, got out of his car and was involved in a struggle with police officers. They suffered minor injuries - before being able to restrain him. https://www.dhakatribune.com/around-the-web/2020/02/17/convicted-terrorist-makes-to-do-list-wants-to-meet-allah-in-heaven

Indian top court orders equal roles for women in army The Supreme Court also ordered the government to extend permanent service - which has only been applicable to men so far - to all women officers, signalling a move towards gender parity in the traditionally male bastion India's top court ruled on Monday that women could serve as army commanders, dismissing the government's stance that male soldiers were not ready to accept orders from female officers as "disturbing." The Supreme Court also ordered the government to extend permanent service - which has only been applicable to men so far - to all women officers, signalling a move towards gender parity in the traditionally male bastion. With this women will get the same opportunities and benefits as their male colleagues, including ranks, promotions and pensions, and be allowed to serve longer tenures. Currently women are inducted through a short service commission that lets them work for up to 14 years, and only allowed permanent commission in the army's legal and educational wings. "To cast aspersion on their abilities on the ground of gender is an affront not only to their dignity as women but to the dignity of the members of the Indian Army," judges said in their ruling. Last week the government opposed women being appointed to top roles such as colonels and brigadiers, saying most soldiers were men from rural backgrounds who were not "mentally schooled to accept women officers in command." The government also argued that men and women officers were physically different and could not be treated equally. The top court rebuked the government, describing its views as "disturbing" and urged "the need for change in mindsets to bring about true equality in the army." It, however, did not rule on deploying women in combat roles, saying a competent authority needed to decide. India, with one of the largest armies in the world, has long resisted including women in combat roles, citing concerns over women's vulnerability if captured and over their physical and mental ability to cope with frontline deployments. India's air force and navy offer permanent commission to women as well as select combat roles. Most countries employ women in various roles in their armed forces but only a handful, including Australia, Germany, Israel and the United States, allow them to take on combat roles. India began recruiting women to non-medical positions in the armed forces in 1992, yet they make up about 4% of the army's more than one million personnel, according to latest data. Aishwarya Bhati, a lawyer who represented female officers at court, lauded Monday's judgment as one that would remove discrimination and boost women's role in the army. "They (judges) have completely negated all the farcical stands raised by the army to deny women equal opportunities," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "These battles are watershed moments not just for women in the Indian army, but for women across the world." https://www.dhakatribune.com/world/south-asia/2020/02/17/india-s-top-court-orders-equal-roles-for-women-in-army

প্রদর্শনের জন্য মেট্রোরেলের নমুনা কোচ ঢাকায় বাসস প্রকাশিত ০৮:১৭ রাত ফেব্রুয়ারি ১৭, ২০২০ সাধারণ মানুষের দেখার ও শেখার জন্য কোচটি প্রদর্শিত হবে প্রদর্শনের জন্য মেট্রোরেলের প্রথম কোচ (নমুনা কোচ) রাজধানীর উত্তরার দিয়াবাড়িতে রাখা হয়েছে। নমুনা কোচ হওয়ায় মূল পরিবহন বহরে এটি সংযুক্ত হবে না। সোমবার (১৭ ফেব্রুয়ারি) সকালে মেট্রোরেলের ডিপোর কন্টেইনার থেকে কোচটি বের করা হয়। ঢাকা ম্যাস র‌্যাপিড ট্রানজিট লিমিটেডের (ডিএমটিসিএল) ব্যবস্থাপনা পরিচালক এম এ এন ছিদ্দিক জানান, কোচটি জাপানের মিৎসুবিশি ও কাওয়াসাকি থেকে তৈরি করে আনা হয়েছে। এই কোচ শুধু প্রদর্শন করা হবে। মূল কোচগুলো যে উপাদান দিয়ে যেভাবে তৈরি করা হবে এটিও সেভাবেই তৈরি হয়েছে। উত্তরায় মেট্রোরেলের যে তথ্যকেন্দ্র নির্মাণ করা হচ্ছে সেখানে সাধারণ মানুষের দেখার ও শেখার জন্য কোচটি প্রদর্শিত হবে। তিনি আরও বলেন, উত্তরার দিয়াবাড়িতে মেট্রোরেলের ডিপোর পাশে ভিজিটর সেন্টার নির্মাণের কাজ প্রায় শেষের দিকে। এমআরটি তথ্য ও প্রদর্শন কেন্দ্রের ভেতরেই রাখা হয়েছে নমুনা ট্রেনটি। সেখানেই দর্শনার্থীদের টিকিট কাটা, ট্রেনে চড়া, দাঁড়ানো, ট্রেন থেকে নামা-এসব বিষয়ে ধারণা দেওয়া হবে। প্রদর্শনীর জন্য কোচটি আগামী মাস থেকেই উন্মুক্ত করা হবে। আর যাত্রীবাহী মেট্রোরেলের মূল কোচগুলো ১৫ জুন বাংলাদেশে এসে পৌঁছবে। আগামী ২০২১ সালে বিজয়ের মাসে জনগণ মেট্র্রোরেলে উঠবে বলে আশা প্রকাশ করেন এম এ এন ছিদ্দিক বলেন, "সেই লক্ষ্যমাত্রা মাথায় রেখেই আমরা কাজ করে যাচ্ছি। দেশে আসা মেট্রোরেল ট্রেন সেট জাতীয় পতাকার রঙে সাজানো থাকবে।" https://bangla.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2020/02/17/20229/প্রদর্শনের-জন্য-মেট্রোরেলের-নমুনা-কোচ-ঢাকায়

Chittagonian, Sylheti ranked among 100 most spoken languages worldwide Tribune Desk Published at 05:29 pm February 17th, 2020 Bengali ranked at 7th position with 265 million native and non-native speakers Chittagonian and Sylheti language have been ranked one of the 100 most spoken languages in the world. In an article published on Saturday, visual-content provider Visual Capitalist ranked Chittagonian at 88th with 13 million speakers, while Sylheti was ranked at 97th with 11.8 million people. The article was based on 22nd edition of Ethnologue, a database covering a majority of the world’s population with detailing approximately 7,111 living languages in existence across the world. On the list, Bengali was ranked at 7th position with 265 million native and non-native speakers, followed by Russian and Portuguese. For the purposes of measurement, the researchers used the ISO 693-3 set of criteria, which accounts for related varieties and dialects—ensuring that linguistics are not the only factor considered in the count of languages. English reigns supreme, with over 1.1 billion total speakers—or roughly 15% of the global population. Mandarin Chinese, Hindi, Spanish, and French round out the top five. Urdu was placed at the 11th spot. The data also showed 66% of English speakers learned it as a second language. In contrast, only 17% of Mandarin speakers know it as a second language. Spanish comes in strong second for native speakers with 460 million, considering it is well-used across Latin America. Swahili surprisingly was found to have the highest ratio of second-language speakers to total speakers—although it only has 16 million native speakers, this shoots up to 98 million total speakers. Overall, 82% of Swahili speakers know it as a second language. https://www.dhakatribune.com/world/2020/02/17/chittagonian-sylheti-ranked-among-100-most-spoken-languages-worldwide

Bengali ranked at 7th among 100 most spoken languages worldwide The article was based on 22nd edition of Ethnologue, a database covering a majority of the world’s population with detailing approximately 7,111 living languages in existence across the world Bengali has been ranked at 7th position among 100 most spoken languages across the world. In an article published on Saturday, visual-content provider Visual Capitalist ranked Bangla in the top ten of the list with 265 million native and non-native speakers across the globe. The article was based on 22nd edition of Ethnologue, a database covering a majority of the world’s population with detailing approximately 7,111 living languages in existence across the world. Classified under the branch of Indo-Aryan languages, Bengali has 228 million native speakers in the world. English topped the list with over 1.1 billion total speakers. Mandarin Chinese, Hindi, Spanish, and French round out the top five respectively. Urdu was placed at the 11th spot. For the purposes of measurement, the researchers used the ISO 693-3 set of criteria, which accounts for related varieties and dialects—ensuring that linguistics are not the only factor considered in the count of languages. The data also showed 66% of English speakers learned it as a second language. In contrast, only 17% of Mandarin speakers know it as a second language. Spanish comes in strong second for native speakers with 460 million, considering it is well-used across Latin America. Swahili surprisingly was found to have the highest ratio of second-language speakers to total speakers—although it only has 16 million native speakers, this shoots up to 98 million total speakers. Overall, 82% of Swahili speakers know it as a second language. https://www.dhakatribune.com/world/2020/02/17/bengali-ranked-at-7th-among-100-most-spoken-languages-worldwide

আসছে বাংলাদেশ নৌবাহিনীর ব্যাংক মেহেদি হাসান প্রকাশিত ১০:২৪ রাত ফেব্রুয়ারি ৪, ২০২০ এর আগে, বাংলাদেশ পুলিশ, বাংলাদেশ সেনাবাহিনী ও বর্ডার গার্ড বাংলাদেশ (বিজিবি) এই তিনটি বাহিনীর প্রত্যেকেই বাণিজ্যিক ব্যাংকের লাইসেন্স পেয়েছে ব্যাংকিং খাতে চলমান মন্দার মধ্যেই আরও “বাংলাদেশ মেরিটাইম ব্যাংক” নামে আরও একটি নতুন বাণিজ্যিক ব্যাংকের অনুমোদন দেওয়ার পরিকল্পনা করছে কেন্দ্রীয় ব্যাংক। ব্যাংকটির প্রস্তাবনা করেছে বাংলাদেশ নৌবাহিনী। এ বিষয়ে বাংলাদেশ ব্যাংকের এক্সিকিউটিভ ডিরেক্টর ও মুখপাত্র মো. সিরাজুল ইসলাম বলেন, “বাংলাদেশ নৌবাহিনীর কাছ থেকে আমরা একটি ব্যাংক অনুমোদনের প্রস্তাবনা পেয়েছে। প্রস্তাবিত ব্যাংকের জন্য কেন্দ্রীয় ব্যাংক তাদের কাছে লেটার অব ইনটেন্ট (এলওআই) চেয়েছে।” ব্যাংকের জন্য প্রয়োজনীয় কাগজপত্র ও তথ্য সরবরাহ করার পরেই চূড়ান্ত অনুমোদের জন্য বাংলাদেশ ব্যাংক বোর্ড অব ডিরেক্টরস-এর সভায় বিষয়টি উত্থাপন করা হবে বলেও জানান তিনি। উল্লেখ্য, ব্যাংক কোম্পানি অ্যাক্ট-১৯৯১ অনুযায়ী, নতুন বাণিজ্যিক ব্যাংকের পরিশোধিত মূলধনের পরিমাণ ৪০০ কোটি টাকার কম হওয়া যাবে না। তবে মো. সিরাজুল ইসলাম জানান, নতুন ব্যাংকগুলোর জন্য পরিশোধিত মূলধনের পরিমাণ নির্ধারণ করা হয়েছে ৫০০ কোটি টাকা। নাম প্রকাশে অনিচ্ছুক বাংলাদেশ ব্যাংকের আরেক কর্মকর্তা ঢাকা ট্রিবিউনকে জানান, “২০১৩ সালে আমরা নৌবাহিনীর কাছ থেকে ব্যাংকের প্রস্তাবনা পেয়েছিলাম। পরে দীর্ঘদিন ধরে তাদের কোনো আগ্রহ পরিলক্ষিত হয়নি। কিন্তু এখন তারা লাইসেন্স পেতে আগ্রহী।” এর আগে, বাংলাদেশ পুলিশ, বাংলাদেশ সেনাবাহিনী ও বর্ডার গার্ড বাংলাদেশ (বিজিবি) এই তিনটি বাহিনীর প্রত্যেকেই বাণিজ্যিক ব্যাংকের লাইসেন্স পেয়েছে। ২০১৮ সালে বাংলাদেশ পুলিশ কমিউনিটি ব্যাংক বাংলাদেশ নামে ব্যাংকের অনুমোদন পায়। সেনাবাহিনীর মালিকানাধীন বেসরকারি ব্যাংকটি হলো ট্রাস্ট ব্যাংক লিমিটেড। বর্ডার গার্ডস বাংলাদেশ সদস্যদের আর্থিক সহায়তার জন্য প্রতিষ্ঠিত হয় সীমান্ত ব্যাংক। আর আনসার-ভিডিপি উন্নয়ন ব্যাংক হলো আনসার-ভিডিপি সদস্যদের সহায়তার জন্য সরকারি মালিকানাধীন বিশেষ একটি ব্যাংক।

US-Bangla introduces ATR aircraft

Armies of India, Bangladesh Begin Military Exercise in Indian Northeast The exercise will run through February 16, 2020, and is in its ninth iteration. The Indian Army and Bangladesh Army began a military exercise on Monday. Known as Sampriti-IX, the exercise is expected to run for nearly two weeks, concluding on February 16. This year’s iteration is the ninth of the Sampriti series of exercises between the two South Asian neighbors. Sampriti-IX began at Umroi in the northeastern Indian state of Meghalaya. The exercise will involve an Indian Army company and more than 160 Bangladesh Army personnel, including 31 officers. According to the Indian Army, the exercise will be focused primarily on counter-terrorism operations. Both sides will work to operate in mountainous and jungle terrain scenarios. The exercise will be divided into command post exercise and field training exercise components. The two will be conducted at the same time. One of the objectives of this year’s exercise is increasing interoperability between the two armies in joint operations. The exercise will also include a joint tactical component. “Both armies would familiarize each other in various tactical drills and procedures,” an Indian Army statement noted. “Soldiers from both the armies will then graduate to joint tactical operations like Cordon and Search, Raid and House Clearance Drills,” the statement added. Military and defense cooperation between India and Bangladesh has grown in recent years. After coming into office in 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi articulated a “neighborhood first” foreign policy approach, which prioritize New Delhi’s ties with its immediate neighbors. Historic ties between India and Bangladesh go back to the latter’s founding in 1971. The Indian Army played a role in supporting Bangladesh independence fighters who were at the time seeking to liberate what was East Pakistan; with Indian assistance, Bangladesh became an independent country. India has sought to cultivate close security ties with the Bangladesh government amid concerns about insurgent groups in its northeast, some of whom operate along the border between the two countries. The two countries share a long, porous border that runs for more than 4,000 kilometers. A second Indian Army statement said that the latest Sampriti exercise would build “military trust” between the two countries. The latest iteration of the Sampriti series of military exercises comes after bilateral ties between Dhaka and New Delhi deteriorated after India’s adoption of a new citizenship law that critics have said favored non-Muslim minorities from Bangladesh (and other neighboring countries of India). Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said that the law—and India’s implementation of a separate National Register of Citizens in the northeastern state of Assam—are “internal mattes” of India, but multiple high-level visits by Bangladeshi officials to India were called off after India’s parliament adopted the law, known as the Citizenship Amendment Act. https://thediplomat.com/2020/02/armies-of-india-bangladesh-begin-military-exercise-in-indian-northeast/

NE-Bangladesh rail link to be ready by 2021: Jitendra Singh PTI | Feb 9, 2020, 08.36 PM IST NEW DELHI: The landmark railway line, connecting the northeastern region with Bangladesh, will be ready by the end of 2021, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Sunday. Singh said when the construction of the railway line, between Agartala in Tripura and Akhaura in Bangladesh, will be completed, it will pave the way for running the first train from the northeast to Bangladesh on the eve of the 75th year of India's independence in 2022. The landmark railway line between Agartala and Akhaura will be completed before the end of next year, that is 2021, Singh said here. While briefing about some of the upcoming projects in the northeast, Singh, the Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), said his ministry will bear the cost of laying 5.46 kms track on the Indian side while the cost of laying 10.6 kms track on the Bangladesh side is being borne by the Ministry of External Affairs. The railway link will connect Gangasagar in Bangladesh to Nischintapur in India and from Nischintapur to Agartala railway station. Singh said the process of acquisition of land and handing it over to executing agencies in both the countries has been completed and an amount of Rs 580 crore has been sanctioned for the Indo-Bangladesh railway work on the Indian side. Quoting engineers and experts, the minister said the soil condition on the Indian side is soft and therefore, the latest technology is being used. Around 600 skilled workers are working round-the-clock to complete the work. Referring to the high priority given to the northeastern region by the Modi dispensation, Singh said the kind of fast-track progress made in the last five years can be realised from the fact that when this government came in 2014, the rail connectivity was very poor and there were at least two states, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya, where people had never seen a train. Today, he said, there is a regular 'Arunachal Express' train running from Itanagar to New Delhi and a double-gauge track is being laid all across the region. The train to Bangladesh will be one of the most glorious achievements of recent years, he said. The work to extend air connectivity through new airports and surface transport through road networks is also proceeding at an equal pace, he added. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/ne-bangladesh-rail-link-to-be-ready-by-2021-jitendra-singh/articleshow/74047777.cms

Bangladesh Biman plans to treble fleet by 2030 Muktadir Rashid | Updated at 05:39pm on February 09, 2020 Biman Bangladesh Airlines managing director Md Mokabbir Hossain makes a point during an interview with New Age in Dhaka recently. — New Age photo National flag carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines Limited has planned to increase its fleet size up to 50 aircraft from the existing 18 by 2030. Biman hinted that alongside the Boeing Company other aircraft manufacturers would also be considered during the next procurement. Biman managing director and chief executive officer Md Mokabbir Hossain in an interview with New Age recently said that they would also increase the numbers of both domestic and international routes. The new aircraft would be used to establish connections to new destinations from Japan to North America and increase the flight frequencies to Middle Eastern and Chinese destinations in the near future. Among Biman’s current 18 aircraft, the manufacturer of all but two aircraft was Boeing while the rest two have been made by Canada’s Bombardier Inc. ‘As our lease for the two [Boeing] 373 will end soon, we need two more similar airliners to carry the same passengers,’ said the CEO, adding that they would likely to consider other manufacturers while procuring new airliners. Six planes of the country’s fleet were obtained on lease and once the three Dash 8 Q400 aircraft bought from Bombardier reach Dhaka by May-June this year they would replace the two Dash 8 aircraft currently in use on lease. The Biman CEO said that after the arrival of those Dashes they would focus on more frequent flights on seven domestic routes, using those on the regional routes. The CEO, however, said that they were currently working to bring transparency in the operational capacities and managing the carrier’s existing manpower, including maintaining on-time flight performance and improving the on-broad services. Biman, he added, has improved its check-in system, which would close all checks-in in 30 minutes before the domestic flights and in one hour before the international flights. ‘We have shortage of operational manpower and we are making recruitments to this end,’ said Mokabbir, who is also on Biman’s board of directors, expressing sharp resentment on past recruitments that were not always based on the needs. Biman is planning to develop its engineering service for the line services for their foreign carriers using the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka to ‘commercialise’ their services and make them profitable. Mokabbir said that the Biman engineers were used to Boeing planes but they wanted to prepare engineering manpower for airliners from other manufacturers, too. Biman has a plan to operate freighter services as per market assessment amid a huge demand from the domestic traders, the CEO said, adding that in that case the freighters would connect South East Asia to the Middle East or beyond using Dhaka as base. Immediately after the country’s liberation on December 16, 1971, Biman Bangladesh Airlines started its journey as the national flag carrier on January 4, 1972 with a DC-3 aircraft. After procuring two F-27s, Biman finally took off on March 7, 1972, with domestic flights to Chittagong and Sylhet from its base in Dhaka. Currently Biman is operating flights to and from seven domestic and 17 international destinations. On January 5 last, Biman launched its direct flight between Dhaka and Manchester, the major city of northwest England, and brand-new Boeing Dreamliner 787-9 airliners were being used to operate flights on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday on the route. Around 90,000 Bangladeshis live in Manchester but Biman suspended flights on the Dhaka–Manchester route due to shortage of aircraft in 2012. ‘We want to connect Dhaka to Toronto via Manchester as we find the route financially viable for us…now we are looking for permission for three flights a week on the Dhaka–Manchester–Toronto route’. And, he said, they were also approaching the US Federal Aviation Authorities for Dhaka–Manchester–New York route and the authorities would be inspecting the Dhaka airport shortly in this regard. The loss-making Dhaka–New York flights of Biman have remained suspended since July 2006. ‘If we operate three flights a week, the route can be viable,’ said Mokabbir. He, however, was unwilling to say whether the recently resumed Dhaka–Manchester route became viable. The Biman MD said that they were now focusing on markets and exploring destinations which should be financially viable for the airline. ‘We are now prioritising our Dhaka–Tokyo flight,’ he added. Bangladesh in January revised its air service agreement with Japan increasing the weekly flight frequency from two to seven and dropping the third-country restriction on the Dhaka–Tokyo route. In the past, Thailand was the mandatory stopover for the Bangladeshi flights to Tokyo but now the flights can have the stopover in any country as Bangladesh needs. Mokabbir said that after the air service deal was revised Biman was planning to operate three flights a week on the Dhaka–Tokyo route in the near future. ‘We will operate two flights via Thailand and will also fly directly to Japan,’ said the Biman boss. Biman suspended its service on the Dhaka–Tokyo route in 2006, finding it not commercially viable. Now given the enhanced business ties and higher tourist movement between the two countries, the airline decided to resume its flights on the route, the official added. He said that they would be increasing the number of flights to Riyadh, Dammam and Dubai, among other ME destinations, with their youngest airliners with their average age of 3.5 years. The national flag carrier CEO said that they rescheduled the Dhaka–Delhi flights and were getting a huge response on the route while planning to expand its wings to Chennai in the near future. Mokabbir said that they were planning to operate flights on the Dhaka-Guangzhou route and the Chinese inspection authorities would be inspecting the Biman office in Guangzhou on February 12. He also said that the long-haul aircraft would be used on long routes, like Sylhet–London direct flights. The modernisation of the Sylhet International Airport is under way, including installation of security features. ‘I hope that if the inspection is done by March, this direct flight can be operated from May this year,’ he further said. When the new aircraft would be available and domestic flights would be enough to operate, he said, Biman might operate cross-city services like Sylhet–Cox’s Bazar and Jashore–Cox’s Bazar flights in future as now any flyer must use the Dhaka or the Chattogram airport. Mokabbir, a serving bureaucrat, who was given the charge of the loss-making national airline in September 2019 to make it viable and functional, also said that the current management wanted to bring transparency in its operations with developing a ‘system’ so that it would run ‘systematically’ whoever assumed the leadership. For the sake of transparency, he said, they have taken a number of initiatives, including ticketing through mobile-based applications at a cheaper rate than that of the base fares while making tickets available at more places in the capital. ‘We will shortly open a sales centre at Dhanmondi on the land we have recently recovered. Another sales centre will be opened at the Balaka Bhaban now under renovation,’ said the CEO. The Biman CEO mentioned that after he took over, he tried to maintain the baggage delivery on time for all international and domestic passengers but sometimes they were facing problems when ‹notam› occurred. Notam is a notice filed with an aviation authority to alert aircraft pilots against potential hazards along a flight route or at a location that could affect the safety of the flight due to special flight movement. He said that he was trying to visit passenger management in person or in disguise so that the services could be ensured for all. Mokabbir said they stopped the ticketing up-gradation system so that Biman could earn more revenue from the passengers opting for more luxury. The Biman top manager said that they introduced an additional 10 per cent food for the passengers travelling from Middle Eastern countries considering their travel distances and sufferings before reaching their destinations. http://www.newagebd.net/article/99033/biman-plans-to-treble-fleet-by-2030

I was afflicted by NVC

Somewhere before 2000 Sri Lankan was rebranded with Emirates purchasing a share in the airline for $70m. Unfortunately there was a dispute with the Sri Lankan government and by 2010, Emirates sold its 43.63% stake in the airline back to the Government of Sri Lanka ending all affiliations. Their fleet consists of an all Airbus airliners totaling to 26 aircraft with a further 6 awaiting delivery. SA is bigger and possibly better than Biman in many ways.

Hi, I'm a Bangladeshi-born based in the Netherlands.