Mohammed M.S. Binmahfouz (seated, second from left), Elaf's Vice President for Travels & Tours and Haj & Umrah, and executives of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, pose for a group photo with the top sales agents during the recently held annual assembly Biman Bangladesh Airlines, 43 years after its inception, has made giant strides to be one of south Asia's airlines to reckon with. At the annual gathering of Biman's agents in Jeddah held recently, executives of Elaf Travel and Tourism Company – the general sales agent (GSA) in the Western Region of the airline – and Biman painted a bright future for the Bangladesh's national airline. Bangladesh Haj Consul, in his speech, said “Biman is doing great these years” after years of being in the red since its establishment in 1972. He noted that Jeddah is the number selling destination for the airlines since opening its flight in 1977. From then onwards, Biman, a “symbol of national resolve,” is witnessing significant developments. Lately, Biman started on March 30 daily flights from Jeddah to Bangladesh cities — four to Dhaka, two to Chittagong, and one to Sylhet. Nasir Khan, Elaf GSA manager, told the Saudi Gazette that three Boeing 777-300ER series with 384 Economy Class and 35 Business Class configurations are serving these routes. The newer Boeing 777s are equipped with modern in-flight entertainment. Every seat is fitted with personal touch screen displays provided by Thales. It is loaded with movies, songs and games. It also has high-resolution moving maps and live flight information in two languages – English and Bengali. In terms of market size, he said Biman has witnessed a 70 percent growth in passenger sales in 2014 against the performance in the previous year, and cargo sales had a dramatic growth of 131 percent in the periods covered. Khan expressed optimism about the airlines' outlook, projecting a 15 percent sales increase in both sectors this year. Mohammed M.S. Binmahfouz, Elaf's Vice President for Travels & Tours and Haj & Umrah, said for over 16 years of partnership with Biman, Elaf has been consistently providing full support to the airlines to further enhance its services in the interest of all stakeholders. Biman launched a frequent-flyer program, named Biman Loyalty Club, in November 2013. It offers rewards such as tiered benefits, mileage bonuses, extra baggage, lounge access and priority check-in at airports. Its members are growing since then. Biman also launched in-flight duty free sales in March 2014 branded as Biman Boutique. The annual event winded up with the distribution of plaques of appreciation to the top travel and cargo agents for 2014. — SG
