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Loss for Leasing egyptair pLanes

Biman plans to send back Boeing aircrafts


Published : 03 Jul 2019 09:27 PM | Updated : 07 Sep 2020 10:21 PM

After counting huge loss worth over a thousand crore taka for leasing two Boeing aircrafts from EgyptAir, Biman has now made a headway to send back those to the leaser. Biman leased two Boeing 777-200ER aircrafts in March and May in 2014 from Egypt for five years at Tk 2 billion. Apart from this, Biman had to spend huge fund to keep the engines functional for repeated breakdown and renting more engines and also repairing the damaged ones. Even after failing to keep those operational, Biman had to rent two engines from Egypt but they too also broke down in December 2016, thus grounding the airplanes.

The engines were later sent to the US manufacturer. Biman has been paying monthly rent charge to EgyptAir and repair fees to the US firm. On the other hand, ground charge at Vietnam Airport was also charged raising the loss amount.  “To bring end to this crisis, the ministry is trying to reach a final agreement to send back the aircrafts,” a senior official of civil aviation and tourism ministry told the Bangladesh Post on Wednesday.

Ministry secretary Md Muhubul Haque said, “This is a burden for us. It seems, the leaser does not feel any emergency to send back these aircrafts. For their reluctance and failure to save the country from suffering huge financial losses, the ministry now has to negotiate with the concerned to return these aircrafts.” He said, ‘We proposed EgyptAir to take back their aircrafts in a condition as it is now. We wanted to know their demand. But they claimed a big amount as damarrage which was impossible. Later, they made another proposal which is acceptable and for this a delegation visited Egypt recently’.

‘The EgyptAir authority has informed that, they will inform further progress after their board meeting on July 5, 2019,’ he added. The secretary also said that, these aircrafts were outdated and their spare parts and engines are not available now.  Mentionable, the two aircrafts for which the state-owned company pays Tk 10 crore rent monthly have been grounded for last several years.

The official said mer air officials are saying, such type of costly agreement damaged the national flag carrier but the intermediaries are remaining without any kind of punishment.  As Biman failed to a deal with Egypt Air about these leased aircraft, finally the authority is advancing through diplomatic channels. The Foreign Ministry and the Bangladesh High Commission in Egypt, alone with Biman are now engaged to reach a solution.

Biman’s former officials saying, because of anti-interest aircraft lease, the national flag carrier has to pay a big amount. Biman’s former director Nafees Imteazuddin said, this is nothing new for the airliner, they have same experience in past, as a result huge amount were spent. Proper investigation would stop such repetition.

Biman general manager (Public Relation) Tahera Khandaker told Bangladesh Post that ‘A delegation team visited Egypt for negotiation, which yet to disclose’.Earlier, a four-member investigation team, formed by the parliamentary standing committee on civil aviation and tourism ministry, brought the issue to the media. According to their report, all the conditions in the leasing contract were in favor of EgyptAir. So, Biman has to bear all the losses and expenses.