US-Bangla Airlines to expand fleet with 21 new aircraft

US-Bangla Airlines is set to nearly double its current fleet with 21 new advanced aircraft, according to an investment proposal sent to the BIDA.

The 21 aircraft are Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners, which will be leased from five companies. The aircraft would be gradually added to US-Bangla’s Airlines’ fleet throughout next year.

The aircraft are worth $1.11 billion or Tk14,000 crore, as per the investment proposal.

US-Bangla Airlines will formally announce its investment and expansion plan at a special event to be held at a hotel in the capital’s Banani on 29 July.

With the new aircraft, the US-Bangla Airlines would increase flights to its already fixed destinations, and also add new destinations, said the airlines’ Managing Director Mohammad Abdullah Al Mamun.

The potential new destinations include: Dammam in Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Ras-Al-Khaimah in the UAE, Penang in Malaysia, Colombo in Sri Lanka and Brunei. New international flights will also be launched from Sylhet and Chattogram while Dhaka, Sylhet and Chattogram will be transformed into regional hubs.