US-Bangla wants to make Dhaka an international connecting hub

In an interview with a news outlet on Saturday, he said that currently Bangladeshi passengers have to use various international hubs, including Dubai, Doha, Istanbul and Kuala Lumpur, to travel to Europe or North America. US-Bangla wants to make a large portion of this connectivity Dhaka-centric.

Abdullah Al Mamun said there is a target to operate flights to 30 international destinations in 20 countries by 2027. As part of this plan, an initiative has been taken to add 21 new Boeing aircraft. Of these, 15 are Boeing 737-8 and six are Boeing 737-800 NG. The aircraft are planned to be added to the fleet by 2027, with an investment of about 1.5 billion dollars.

He said that through the new aircraft, along with launching new destinations, there will be opportunities to increase flights on existing routes and reduce operating costs by using relatively efficient aircraft. The company sees Bengaluru, Delhi, Kathmandu and Colombo in South Asia, and Beijing and Hong Kong in East Asia, as potential destinations.

There are also plans to expand the network in the Middle East and Southeast Asia. The possibility of flying to destinations such as Dammam, Medina, Salalah, Kuwait, Bahrain, Brunei, Penang and Johor Bahru is being considered. He said there are long-term plans to operate flights to New York, Toronto and Sydney in addition to London and Rome.

The managing director of US-Bangla said that alongside international passenger transport, there are plans to invest in air cargo, aircraft maintenance, training, catering and the technology sector. In particular, there is a major revenue opportunity through transporting goods on passenger flights.

However, he noted that expanding a large fleet also carries risks. Ensuring sufficient passengers and profitable routes, expenses in foreign currency, fuel price fluctuations, skilled manpower and the capacity of Dhaka's airport—he views these as important challenges.

According to Abdullah Al Mamun, if the plan succeeds, US-Bangla will not remain limited to being just a domestic private airline. Centered on Dhaka, an important air connectivity for Bangladesh could be created between South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, East Asia and, subsequently, Europe and North America.