Biman Bangladesh Airlines is launching its Dhaka-Narita (Tokyo) direct flight from September 1, 2023. Bangladeshi news agency UNB confirmed the matter as Shafiul Azim, managing director and CEO of the state-owned Biman Bangladesh Airlines said it to the news agency. The Biman CEO mentioned in that report, the inaugural flight will take off from Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on September 1 at 11:45 pm local time and reach Narita International Airport in Japan on September 2 at 9:15 am local time. The flight, BG-377, from Narita International Airport to Dhaka will take off on September 2. Dhaka to Narita flights will depart every Friday, Monday and Wednesday at 11:45 pm and from Narita to Dhaka, every Saturday, Tuesday and Thursday at 11 am.   Biman Bangladesh Airlines started selling tickets for the Dhaka-Narita (Tokyo) direct flights from July 25. The minimum one-way fare on the route is Tk 70,828 and return ticket price is Tk 1,11,656 per passenger.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today stressed the need for developing direct connectivity with Uzbekistan for mutual benefits. She said Bangladesh is keen to set up fertiliser factory in Uzbekistan under a joint venture while Uzbekistan hoped to establish its embassy in Bangladesh. The discussion was held when Deputy Prime Minister for Investment and Foreign Economic Relations and Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan Jamshid Abdurakhimovich Khodjaev paid a courtesy call on the premier at her official Ganabhaban residence in the capital. PM's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed newsmen after the call on. Sheikh Hasina said both Bangladesh and Uzbekistan should work together to explore many areas for the mutual benefits of the two countries. She said Bangladesh is setting up 100 economic zones across the country to capitalise its young and vibrant manpower. The premier said Bangladesh attaches priority the relationship with Uzbekistan. Recalling the visit of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur to Tashkent, Uzbekistan in 1973, she said the tour had helped laid foundation of the bilateral relations between the two countries and it had been strengthened over the years. She said Bangladesh is emphasizing on the development of ago-processing industries to meet the growing demand of local market and export those to international markets. About the Russia-Ukraine war, the PM said the war is creating problems for all the countries and the people are suffering for it. Bangladesh, she said, has started taking precautionary measures amid the global crisis. The Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister put emphasis on strengthening further long-term friendship and cooperation. "Bangladesh is a potential partner of Uzbekistan and we want to transform it to a strategic partnership," he was quoted as saying. He said his country is keen to enhance economic cooperation with Bangladesh. Jamshid Abdurakhimovich Khodjaev said Uzbekistan is a good hub of CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) countries as there are huge potentialities for developing business here. He sought Bangladesh's cooperation on the pharmaceuticals and ICT sectors. The visiting Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister highly appreciated Bangladesh's economic advancement, growing per capita income and development of agriculture sector. He said they were hoping to set up Uzbekistan embassy in Dhaka. The Bangladesh premier assured of providing necessary supports and cooperation to this end. Jamshid Abdurakhimovich Khodjaev conveyed the greetings of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Sheikh Hasina. Sheikh Hasina also conveyed her regards to Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and invited him to visit Bangladesh at his convenience. During the meeting, both the sides have agreed to work for avoidance of double taxation. Uzbek Deputy Minister for Investment and Foreign Affairs Laziz Kudratov and Uzbek Deputy Minister for Civil Aviation Jasurbek Choriev, Bangladesh PM's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim and Bangladesh Ambassador to Uzbekistan Jahangir Alam were present. Source: BSS AH

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Wednesday approved in principle a proposal of the Health Services Division to procure Covid-19 vaccine directly from any organisation through negotiations without following any bidding process. “The Cabinet body approved a proposal of the Health Services Division [under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare] to procure Covid-19 vaccine worth over Tk 5 crore by applying the direct procurement method,” said Md Abu Saleh, additional secretary of the Cabinet Division. He was briefing reporters on the committee decision after its meeting. Abu Saleh, however, said: “This committee has just given the approval in principle to meet the emergency needs of the state. But when any procurement deal will be final, it’ll come to the Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase for its final approval.” He said the approval was given in compliance with the Provision 76 of the Public Procurement Rule-2008. Law Minister Anisul Haque presided over the meeting in absence of the committee head Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal. Earlier on November 5 last, the government signed a tripartite memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Serum Institute of India (SII) and Beximco Pharmaceuticals Ltd to collect the three crore doses of the Oxford-AtraZeneca SARS-CoV-B2, AZD1222 vaccine. Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam on Monday said the vaccines, being procured, to be provided free of cost. He said a programme is being developed to select the priority recipients of the vaccines following the WHO protocol. The government will initially provide three crore free doses of Covid-19 vaccine to the citizens of the country. The government will procure the three crore doses of Oxford-AtraZeneca vaccine from the Serum Institute of India (SII). The Finance Ministry on November 16 initially allocated some Tk 735.77 crore against the Health Service Division to procure the Covid-19 vaccine. “The draft of a tripartite procurement agreement has already been prepared,” he said. Source: UNB AH

Biman Bangladesh Airlines is all set to start operating direct flights from Sylhet to London this year. A press briefing is scheduled to take place on Sunday at Sylhet Osmani International Airport in this regard. State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Md Mahbub Ali will preside over the function while Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen will be present as the chief guest, the national flag carrier said Friday. Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmed and Bangladesh Civil Aviation Authority Chairman M Mofidur Rahman will also be present at the press conference. Source: UNB AH

 After withdrawal of a two-year ban, direct cargo flight to UK starts tomorrow (Wednesday) as Biman Bangladesh Airlines receives eligibility certificate. It has received the certificate as a prerequisite to begin the direct flights to UK. Starting tomorrow it is hoped that Biman Bangladesh will start sending direct air cargo to the UK. The withdrawal of the UK air cargo ban came following a significant progress in meeting a number of important security conditions at the country’s premier airport. The British envoy said lifting of the ban came as a result of the ongoing UK-Bangladesh cooperation and joint assessment of Shahjalal International Airport. Following the recommendation from the UK authorities, Bangladesh government appointed British company Redline Aviation Security Ltd to upgrade security systems and provide training to the airport officials at Shahjajalal Airport and installed Explosive Detective System (EDS) and Explosive Trace Detector (ETD) machines at the airport’s cargo village. An independent auditor was in Bangladesh to review Biman Bangladesh Airlines’ eligibility for the certificate and came up with the approval recently. Last month, UK withdrew a two-year-long ban on direct air cargo from Dhaka. During the ban, the cargo used a third-party screening agent in another country before entering UK air space. Due to the ban the national airline incurred a loss of more than Tk 100 crore last year. The restriction on cargo flights from Bangladesh was effective for almost two years due to lack of security, lengthiness and quality service. FU