Bangladesh declares open sky at the expense of the local aviation industry

The news was on last week that Bangladesh Government was considering to declare Bangladesh an open sky for two months. That means foreign airlines will operate as many flights as they want as current restrictions on numbers of their flights to protect the local industry is lifted.

The reason: to clear a backlog of 150,000 Bangladeshis who have jobs waiting in Malaysia and Middle East but no flights to get them there. And still Biman Bangladesh is a losing concern running operations in unprofitable locations with insufficient old carriers and over numbered inefficient staffs.

It was confirmed today in ATN news channel (via Mezba).

I had recently acquired an insider info on Biman that its curtailing of 6000 employees was actually due to a prescription of a likely joint-venture bid with a foreign carrier as Biman is thinking of privatization.

Meanwhile some retired Biman officials are trying to float a private Airlines to fill the voids of Biman. "The routes to Narita, New York, Frankfurt and Paris are some of the profitable ones that Biman Bangladesh Airlines kept suspended and we have a plan to operate for those destinations," said the ex-MD of Biman who is heading the initiative. (Report: Daily Star)

Here is an appeal to salvage Biman. But it seem to be plunging into oblivion only with no rescue in sight.