Biman’s Boeing and Airbus purchases raise unrealistic hopes of Dhaka becoming an international hub

Neither Bangladesh Biman Airlines nor Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport have made any great impression on the world stage with both of them mainly helping ferry Bangladesh nationals around the country or to foreign lands for work.

But all that might change as Biman commits to acquiring 35 Boeing and Airbus aircraft over the next 10 years while the airport is set to open its new Terminal 3.

The aircraft purchase marks out Biman as the most ambitious of the smaller carriers in its region while jointly with the airport it sees the Bangladesh capital's gateway acting as a major global hub, competing with giants in India and more particularly in the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

But the airline has very little experience in these markets while at the airport the arrival of this state-of-the-art terminal building next year will not be complemented by the construction of a second runway any time soon. While hubs can and do operate on a single runway and even Dubai International and London Heathrow Airport only have two it does limit optimal operability and the creation of arriving and departing waves.

This report examines the various ins and outs of this hub proposal and while it concludes that the carrier and airport may be stepping well outside their comfort zone they cannot be criticised for a lack of ambition.