By Elishya Perera
DHAKA, Bangladesh (CWBN)_Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed her desire to establish strong connectivity with neighbouring countries in Southeast Asia, by cashing in on the country’s geographical location in the region.
The Prime Minister made these comments during the inauguration of the brand-new Dash 8-400 aircraft of Biman Bangladesh Airlines yesterday (Dec 27). She joined the ceremony at the VIP Lounge of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport virtually from her official residence in Dhaka.
“We want to establish strong connectivity with neighbouring countries . . .working on this goal and I think this inclusion (aircraft) of Biman will be helpful in future,” she said.
During her address, Hasina noted that effective connectivity is key for trade and business, and pointed out that Bangladesh’s geographical location places the country in advantage to easily establish strong and effective connectivity with the South-eastern countries, which is why the government has taken different measures to this end.
“Now, we are upgrading Cox’s Bazar and Syedpur airports as international ones while construction works of the third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport and expansion of Sylhet international airport are going on, and the remaining work will be done gradually,” she said.
The new aircraft, named “Dhrubotara” (meaning Polaris star/ North star), is the first out of the three Dash 8-400 aircrafts received by the national flag carrier, from De Havilland Aircraft of Canada, a prominent aircraft-maker of the North American country.
Biman procured the three Dash 8-400 aircraft under the G2G (government-to-government) agreement between Bangladesh and Canada, and the Dhrubotara, which arrived in Dhaka on November 24, is equipped with eco-friendly and state-of-the-art facilities. Its addition brings the total number of Biman’s aircraft to 19, including four Boeing 777-300ER, four Boeing 787-8, two Boeing 787-9, six Boeing 737 and three Dash 8-400.
