Biman BangladeshAirlines is the national flag carrier airline of Bangladesh. Its main hub is atShahjalal International Airport in Dhaka and it also operates flights from itssecondary hubs Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong and OsmaniInternational Airport in Sylhet. Besides providing international passenger andcargo services to Asia and Europe, the airline also provides major domesticroutes inside Bangladesh. It has air service agreements with 42 countries andcurrently flies to 16 different countries.

Until July 23, 2007,the airline was completely owned and managed by the then Government ofBangladesh after it was transformed into the country’s largest public LimitedCompany by the Caretaker Government of Bangladesh. The airline’s significantbusiness activities comprise of Annual Hajj flights, transporting non-residentBangladeshi workers and migrants and the activities of its subsidiaries.

Soon after itsfoundation in 1972, Biman Bangladesh expanded its fleet and destinations. At its peak, Biman has operated flights to 29 internationaldestinations, as far away as New York City to the west and Tokyo to the east.Since becoming a public limited company in 2007, the airline has begun tomodernize its fleet. Biman Bangladesh Airlines is certified as safe to fly inEurope by the European Aviation Safety Agency. In addition, the airlinesuccessfully passed the IATA Operational Safety Audit and since then it hasbeen successfully flying to various destinations in Asia and Europe.

History:

BimanBangladesh Airlines was established on 4 January 1972 as Bangladesh's nationalairline under the Bangladesh Biman Ordinance. The airline was initiallycalled Air Bangladesh but was soon changed to its current name. On 4February 1972, Biman started its domestic services, initially linking Dhakawith Chittagong, Jessore and Sylhet. In the first year of operation, Bimanoperated 1,079 flights carrying just over 380,000 passengers. Theairline brokeeven for the first time in1977–78, and made a profit the following year.

Ownership:

Sinceinception, Bangladesh Biman Corporation was completely owned by the Bangladeshigovernment. In 1977, Biman was converted into a public sector corporation to begoverned by a board of directors appointed by the government. In 1987, itsauthorized share capital increased to 2 billion taka and it was transformedinto Bangladesh’s largest public limited company in 2007.

Subsidiaries:

BimanBangladesh Airlines subsidiaries include a number of ancillary andmaintenance facilities established to facilitate operations of BimanBangladesh Airlines.Biman's subsidiaries are associated with aircraftground handling, aviationengineering, aviationtraining and flightcatering.

Amongthese wholly owned subsidiaries are Biman Flight Catering Centre; Biman PoultryComplex; Biman Ground Handling; Bangladesh Airlines Training Centre; and BimanEngineering.

·        BimanFlight Catering Centre: Biman Flight Catering Centre was set up in 1989 with the aim ofproviding quality in-flight meals. It is Biman’s one of the most profitableoperations and has the capacity of producing 8500 meals a day. 

·        BimanPoultry Complex: This profit-makingsubsidiary of Biman was formed in 1976 and put into operation in November 1980and employs 90 people. The Biman Flight Catering Centre consumes 90% of theeggs and chickens from the poultry complex.

·        Biman GroundHandling: Biman provides ground handling andcargo handling services to all airlines in Bangladesh operating in allairports. Established along with Biman Bangladesh Airlines in 1972, itgenerated profits of BDT 4.5 billion in the FY 2011-2012, making it one of themost profitable subsidiaries of Biman.

·        Bimanairlines Training Centre: Biman Bangladesh Airlines Training Center (BATC) trains its ground,flight service and technical personnel to meet the growing needs of Biman'smanpower. The center, founded in 1987, has also been turned into a seat oftraining and technical seminars for local travel agents and some foreignairlines.

Services:

Ø Airport Services: Biman Bangladesh Airlines staff are trained to provide quick andefficient check-in. The passengers are also provided with other airportservices. Such as:

·        Airport Lounges:Loungeaccess is available for Biman Business Class passengers.

·        UnaccompaniedMinor: Handling Facilities for Unaccompanied Minor isavailable both at arrivals and departures with prior request during reservationand fulfillment of traveling conditions.

·        Wheelchair: WheelChair facilities are available on both arrivals and departures with priorrequest at the time of reservation.

·        Transit Passengers: A dedicated desk for transit/transfer passengers isavailable round the clock for Biman & Customer Airlines at Hazrat ShahjalalInternational Airport.

Ø  On-board Services: Biman offers in-flight magazinenamed Bihanga which covers topics about Bangladesh and Biman’s destinations. English and Bengali newspapers are also available inBusiness Class. Biman launched in-flight duty-free sales branded as Biman Boutique. Duty-freeproducts include perfumes, cosmetics, jewelry, watches, children's gifts, chocolates, tobacco etc. Biman launched amenity kits for childrenon-board which include coloring books, stationery, dolls and jigsaw puzzle. Every seat is fitted with personal touch screendisplays which are loaded with movies, songs and games. It also has highresolution moving maps and live flight information. Biman also launched onboardInternet, Wi-Fi, movie streaming and live TV streaming services for which 25satellites were deployed. Biman started to offer exciting new and diverse mealand beverage options in its flights, including diabetic and children's mealpackages, which is reviewed and updated every three months. Biman has designed all menus to reflect the fresh, innovative cuisine ofBangladeshi culture with western flare.

Ø  Cargo services: Biman Bangladesh Airlineshas started carrying out semi-automation of the cargo handling department aspart of its effort to strengthen capacity to offer world class services formore profit. To this end, the national flag carrier has collected modernequipment as well as struck deals with two global giant carriers, Etihad andEmirates airways, to offer wider cargo services.

Ø  Frequent FlyerProgram: Biman launched a frequent-flyer program named as BimanLoyalty club. Itoffers rewards such as tiered benefits, mileage bonuses, extra baggage, lounge access and priority check-in at airports

BimanTravel Agents Program: Travelagents can fill-up an online registration form and become a certified Bimantravel agent and start selling tickets with Biman’s new online booking engine.

Featuresand Benefits:

·        100%online electronic ticketing

·        Guaranteedlowest available fares

·        Exclusiveaccess to promotions and special offers

·        Manageemployee account permissions

·        Real-timesales reports and graphs

·        Electronicinvoicing and billing

Bangladesh AirlinesTraining Centre: Biman launched this aviation integrated trainingacademy 04 decades back and since then it has opened vast opportunities foraspirant youth to take their first step towards an exciting career in aviationindustry. The extensive range of training programs focuses on providing thecustomers with highest quality and added value solutions along with globalrecognition.