Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister G M Quader Sunday said the government is trying to demolish the long hands of the vested quarters, responsible for huge irregularities of the national flag carrier Biman.

"We are trying really very hard with help of the Prime Minister to demolish this powerful vested quarter who have been using Biman as a milking cow since long," he said while speaking at a seminar titled 'Civil Aviation and Tourism: Prospects and Challenges' organized by Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industries (DCCI) at its auditorium in Dhaka.

Civil Aviation Authority Chairman Air Commodore Mahmud Hussain spoke as the special guest while Chief Executive Officer of HG Aviation Ltd Imran Asif presented the keynote paper at the seminar.

DCCI President Abul Kasem Khan made the welcome address and Senior Vice President M Shahjahan Khan gave vote of thanks.

G M Quader said reform of Biman has become essential, as it won't be a successful airline, if it continues on its present structure of operation.

He said the shares of Biman would be floated in the capital market soon under its privatization process to raise the management efficiency of the national carrier.

"We are going to buy ten new aircrafts and setting up re-fueling facilities in the Sylhet international airport for making Biman profitable," he said.

The minister said the government is also working to increase the aviation facilities for uplifting the Bangladesh Aviation authority's status to 'category one' in the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

Elaborating the government's steps in tourism sector, he said the 2011 has been declared as tourism year with the slogan of 'visit Bangladesh' and the government has chalked out various programmes in this regard to attract more tourists in the country.

"We have already formulated national tourism policy and passed several tourism related laws to develop the tourism sector through facilitating sustainable eco-tourism," he said.

Terming the failure of Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation as 'management failure', the minister said "the government can't be a 'good businessman', it should be in the driving seat as the regulator and the private sector would do the business."

The government and private sectors must go hand-in-hand for making the tourism sector one of the most exciting revenue earning sources, he added.

The minister said the ministry would protect all tourism spots under the Tourism Preservation Zone Act so that no one would build eco harmful infrastructures in the tourism spots.

"We have already made a master plan for expansion of eco-tourism from Cox's Bazaar to Saint Martins Island via Teknaf," he said.

In his keynote paper, Asif said Biman has lost more than 80 percent of local market to the foreign airlines even after getting 36 years of direct government support.

He said, of the four million passengers every year, 3.2 million Bangladeshis or expatriate Bangladeshis are relying on foreign airlines. The foreign airlines are taking back US$ 400 million per year out of country's US$ 500 million travel market, he added.

The speakers of the seminar demanded new civil aviation policy and introduction of on arrival visa for the foreign tourists as well as further facilitating the private bodies into the sector for true development of the tourism sector.

Members of the DCCI, representatives of airlines, travel agencies and tour operators were present.

Quader for reforms in Bangladesh Biman

Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Ghulam Muhammed Quader Sunday lamented that a vested quarter has been exploiting the state owned Bangladesh Biman as a ‘milking cow’.

“Biman is like a milking cow. Those who milk it are very powerful and we are trying to break this vested quarter. We have been trying to do something,” said GM Quader who was recently speculated by the media to have resigned because of conflict with a powerful quarter.

Underscoring the need for immediate reforms he said the way Biman is being run is not proper. It should be streamlined.

The minister was speaking at a seminar on ‘Civil Aviation and Tourism: Prospects & Challenges’ held at Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

Chaired by DCCI president Abul Kasem Khan, Civil Aviation Authority chairman Air Commodore Mahmud Hossain spoke at the seminar as special guest. Aviation consultant Imran Asif presented the keynote paper in the seminar organized by the DCCI.

GM Quader informed that Bangladesh Biman has been functioning amid plenty of complaints against it.

The minister informed that the process to bring Bangladesh Biman into the capital market is in the final stage. “Bangladesh Biman is going towards privatization and we are trying for that. But controlling shares should stay with the government,”

He was optimism that apart from Dhaka and Chittagong, the refueling facilities at Sylhet Osmani International Airport will be made available within the next year while the Cox’s Bazar will be upgraded to a full fledged airport within the tenure of the present government.

He said Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation failed to come up to the expectation due to failure of the management. He viewed that Parjatan Corporation could profitably run under the private management.

GM Quader emphasized the need for coordinated efforts among the ministries. The government and the private sector should go hand in hand in developing the tourism sector.

He admitted that they were not able to grab the market of the regional airlines due to aircraft shortage. Ten new aircrafts of three types would be procured in phases under a deal already signed.

Responding to a query the Minister said money will not be a problem for the tourism sector development whatever allocation is made in the national budget.

In his power point presentation, aviation consultant Imran Asif showed that Bangladesh lost 80 percent of the local market to the foreign airlines after independence as the successive governments failed to address the issue.

Asif, also Chief Executive Officer of Regent Airways, said the air travel market to and from Bangladesh is now worth US$ 500 million a year of which more than US$ 400 million is taken away by the foreign airlines.

He also showed that some 3.2 million Bangladeshis including ethnic and non- resident Bangladeshis (NRBs) rely on foreign airlines.

During the open discussion session RM Khan urged to address the hassles of Biman passengers, privatize the airlines and regain its market share, strengthen the airport facilities including ground handling, baggage and overall development of the tourism sector.

Zainul Ahmed demanded establishment of a separate Tourism Ministry as it is a booming industry while AKM Bari urged for visa to international tourists on arrival at the airport.

--BSS, UNB, Dhaka