Biman Explains Temporary Suspension of Manchester Flights
Biman Bangladesh Airlines has recently suspended flight operations on the Manchester route on a temporary basis, drawing criticism across social media and other platforms. In response, Biman Bangladesh Airlines Limited issued an official statement on Thursday, January 22, explaining the rationale behind the decision.
According to the statement, the decision to temporarily suspend flights on the Dhaka or Sylhet–Manchester route is primarily aligned with fleet limitations and operational realities. The Manchester route is not economically profitable for the national carrier. Biman operates a limited number of wide-body aircraft of the same category—B787 and B777—across its European, Hajj, and Middle Eastern routes. As a result, deploying an aircraft on a long-haul route such as Manchester keeps it engaged for multiple consecutive days, creating pressure on overall fleet management. During the Hajj season, additional flights must be operated within a limited timeframe to transport a large number of pilgrims, making it operationally necessary to adjust frequencies on other routes.
At the same time, demand on Middle Eastern routes remains extremely high due to expatriate workers and Umrah passengers. This necessitates deploying the limited fleet on routes with higher demand and operational efficiency. In addition, during routine C-Checks, engine overhauls, and structural inspections, one or more aircraft remain out of operation for weeks or even months. As a result, long-term maintenance further exacerbates aircraft shortages.
Furthermore, a global shortage of flight crew currently persists, which also affects Biman. Under such circumstances, operating comparatively shorter routes instead of long-haul flights enables more efficient and effective crew management.
Taking all these factors into consideration, and with the objective of maintaining service continuity and operational stability while ensuring optimal utilization of its limited fleet, Biman authorities decided to temporarily suspend flight operations on the Dhaka/Sylhet–Manchester route.
However, considering the potential inconvenience to passengers, Biman Bangladesh Airlines has increased flight frequencies on the London route and is now operating a total of five flights per week. Of these, four flights operate via Sylhet to London, while one flight operates directly from Dhaka to London.
In addition, for passenger convenience, the previously announced suspension date of Manchester flights has been deferred from February 1 to March 1. Passengers on the Manchester route are being offered ticket refunds or flight changes without any additional charges during the suspension period.
Passengers also have the option to reroute their journeys via London or reschedule their flights to any earlier convenient date, again without incurring any extra fees.
Biman Bangladesh Airlines has expressed sincere regret to all affected passengers and stakeholders for any inconvenience caused by the temporary suspension and has sought their cooperation and understanding. The airline added that aircraft procurement and crew recruitment processes are currently underway. Subject to the completion of these initiatives, the resumption of flights on the Manchester route will be considered in the future, and all concerned will be informed in due course.
DBTech/EK/MU/OR
