The government has undertaken a series of measures to turn Biman Bangladesh Airlines Limited into a more profitable and internationally competitive airline, said Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Afroza Khanam.

Responding to a starred question from ruling party lawmaker Sarwar Jamal Nizam (Chattogram-13) in the Jatiya Sangsad today, Minister Afroza Khanam said Biman, in addition to operating its own flights, also provides ground handling services to both domestic and foreign airlines, the state media BSS reports.

“Overall, the airline is a profitable entity, but there remains scope to further enhance its operational efficiency and management standards to meet international benchmarks,” she said.

The Minister noted that a shortage of aircraft remains a key challenge for Biman while addressing this issue is essential to boosting revenue and ensuring long-term profitability.

She said that adding new aircraft to the fleet would significantly increase income and help transform the airline into a more profitable organization.

Under Biman’s “Network and Fleet Plan,” Afroza Khanam said initiatives are underway to induct new aircraft into the fleet while phasing out older ones gradually. “In the interim period, aircraft are being procured on lease to maintain and expand operations,” she said.

The Minister said the government is also working to ensure improved passenger services in line with its election manifesto commitments.

“Measures have been taken to enhance the quality of both flight operations and ground handling services, including closer monitoring and efforts to bring about positive behavioral changes among staff,” she said.

In addition, she said, the introduction of an online ticketing system has significantly reduced passenger harassment in ticket collection.

Despite having a limited number of aircraft, the Minister said, Biman is striving to improve its On-Time Performance (OTP). “Currently, it has achieved around 80 percent OTP in both international and domestic flights,” the minister added.