The New Nation - Internet Edition

BUSINESS REPORT

Best Air, the country's third private airliner, is likely to go for a deal with the company Airbus to procure six aircraft to stay in the competition as their rivals are moving ahead with their own plans.

'We're planning to procure two Airbus-330 aircraft and four Airbus-320 aircraft,' Best Air chairman M Haider Uzzaman said.

Best Air had a two-hour meeting with an Airbus team at its office Tuesday while the Airbus delegates gave a presentation on their aircraft.

'We've told them to submit a commercial proposal within the next two weeks and after that, if our board approves, we'll go for signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU),' Haider said.

But, he said, they would also receive proposals from the US-based Boeing. 'Strategically, we have an interest for Airbus due to availability of its spare parts and crew,' he added.

Best Aviation started its modest journey in 1999 as a helicopter operator and then started its operation as a freighter airliner in 2000.

Best Air obtained its licence in 2006 from the Civil Aviation Authority to operate Passenger Service on the international and domestic routes. The company started its passenger fleet with Boeing 737, which was the first in Bangladesh.