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Bangladesh's Air Astra outlines fleet growth, cargo plans
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Air Astra ATR72-600 Rendering
https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/...s-air-astra-outlines-fleet-growth-cargo-plans
Air Astra ATR72-600 Rendering© Air Astra

Dhaka, Bangladesh gridlock delays Air Astra, Fly Dhaka debut

11.03.2022 - 00:41 UTC

The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) aims to delay the certification of startups Air Astra (Dhaka) and Fly Dhaka to avoid further congestion at Dhaka, says Chairman Mafidur Rahman.

He told The Daily Star that airlines have been facing a space shortage airside and in the existing terminals as the airport’s only runway has been closed from 0000L (1800Z) to 0800L (0200Z) daily since December 10, 2021, in preparation for the construction of taxiways for a third terminal.

He said the eight-hour flight ban was disrupting flight schedules and passenger handling at the airport. About 110 to 115 flights of 28 airlines were currently operating to/from Dhaka Airport, carrying up to 21,000 passengers within the reduced travel period.

Airline officials had reported chaotic operating conditions and blamed airport authorities for failing to provide emergency facilities.

Amid the present congestion, CAAB was discouraging the entry of more operators from the airport, Rahman said. "Once the situation becomes normal after the completion of the construction and expansion of the taxiways, we will step in with the right arrangements."

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About Fly Dhaka

Fly Dhaka is a new proposed airline in Bangladesh looking to launch its services by early 2022, similar to Air Astra who is another Bangladeshi airline start-up looking to do the same. The airline is planning to fly to 7 domestic destinations using a fleet of ATR 72-600 aircraft.

Fly Dhaka will operate domestic routes in its first year of service due to the local regulatory restrictions. Therefore, international services will not be available until at least early 2023.



Destinations

Fly Dhaka hasn't currently announced the destinations they are planning to fly to. However, it's highly likely that they'll only fly domestic routes in the first year of launch due to local authority restrictions. In the second year of operations, the airline may look to operating international destinations.
 
Very detailed report on new investment in the passenger transportation sector initiated by Padma bridge opening. It's being said at least 300 crore BDT being invested by transport companies to launch direct bus services to 21 districts.



@Bilal9 @
 
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US-Bangla Airlines to add A330s in late 2Q22​

© Tis Meyer (PlanePics.org)

US-Bangla Airlines (BS, Dhaka) is planning to induct at least one A330 in the middle of next year to launch Saudi Arabian operations.
In a statement marking the delivery of its latest pair of B737-800s - msn 39428 and 39430 - the Bangladeshi carrier said only that jet, now confirmed to be an A330-300, would arrive in June next year and would be used to connect Dhaka with Jeddah, Riyadh, and Madinah.

It did not disclose the aircraft's origins, nor did it respond to a request for comment.

They will, however, be its first widebody jet(s).

Earlier this month, US-Bangla also signalled plans to start flights to Europe and to add six A321-200NX(LR)s to its fleet by 2023.

The ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows US-Bangla Airlines currently operates seven ATR72-600s, four B737-800s, and three DHC-8-Q400s (to be retired and sold) on scheduled flights throughout Bangladesh as well as to India, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), China, Malaysia, the Maldives, Oman, Singapore, and soon - Thailand.

I suspect these will be lease and not purchases?
 
I suspect these will be lease and not purchases?

Yes all are leases, A330s, A321LRs and ATRs. Seems US Bangla will also phase out older B738's - will have a large fleet of A321LR and A330s for int'l flights.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US-Bangla_Airlines#Fleet

With its new A321LRs, US Bangla can easily operate flights to any airport in EU and as far as London (LHR, LGW, LCY) and Eastward to any point in China as far as Tokyo. These would be long thin routes with 220 PAX.

Air Astra has secured 4 ATR72-600s on lease, Fly Dhaka is getting the same type of ATR's but don't know how many. These new airlines will have to operate locally for at least a couple of years before they are allowed to operate internationally.

See post 2239 above for Air Astra route plan.

Looks like US Bangla is also using a fleet of ATR's locally and for regional flights to KTM and CCU - so this type will be predominant in Bangladesh which is a good thing. They are used extensively in the rest of ASEAN for local flights, esp. in Thailand and Malaysia.

The only airline still flying Dash-8's are I believe Biman and US Bangla. US Bangla has two but they will be returned I think and ATR's will be their primary local types.

One side note is that no airline in Bangladesh serves regional Airports like Guwahati - GAU or Dimapur - DMU in Nagaland. These airports only have connections with Calcutta CCU while people in these locations can easily use Dhaka or even Sylhet (which are much closer regionally) for direct long range flights to the US, Canada and UK/EU using B777 and B787 fleets. B787s fly direct to London from Sylhet.

CAAB's gadhas never looked into these. All they care about is taking bribes and hand out permissions to Gulf carriers to operate from Dhaka.

There is significant regional traffic activity to these two airports from CCU - A320s are used twice a day sometimes. Agartala airport is close enough that buses can carry passengers to Dhaka from Agartala. Bangladesh govt. should look into this as we never ask anything in return from India while they are taking advantage of us 100%.

Air Services should also be opened to Sikkim's new airport at Pakyong (at 4500 ft. above MSL), which is 30 KM from Gangtok, very high potential for Bangladeshis to travel to Sikkim, just like KTM in Nepal.

Pakyong
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sikkim-airport-2.jpg
 
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Meghna also has moderately high grade gravel bikes (offshoot of their Road bikes for off road use) made with a 6061 Aluminum Alloy Frame. This costs the equivalent of 55,000 Takas locally in Bangladesh or about US$600.

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Square pharma to manufacture drugs in Kenya this July​

Square looks to get hold of the $30 million drug market in Kenya and five other East African countries — Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and South Sudan — and fulfill the unmet demands of medicines in those countries


Medicine

Zisan Bin Liaquat

May 29, 2022 6:51 AM

Square Pharmaceuticals has constructed a state of the art pharmaceutical plant at EPZ Athi River in Machakos County of Kenya. It is expected to be commissioned in July this year.

“Square Pharmaceuticals’ first overseas manufacturing unit in Kenya has received the good manufacturing practices (GMP) approval today (Friday). This is also the first investment of Bangladesh in the pharmaceutical sector outside the country,” General Manager at Square Pharmaceuticals Prosenjit Chakraborty wrote in a LinkedIn post on Friday.

The offshore plant is set to help the company diversify its supply chain and mitigate any impact of Bangladesh's LDC graduation a decade later.

Square looks to get hold of the $30 million drug market in Kenya and five other East African countries — Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and South Sudan — and fulfill the unmet demands of medicines in those countries.

“This is a milestone for not just Square, but the country itself, as it not only diversifies the export basket but also speaks volumes about our expertise in the pharmaceutical and medicine sector and the quality product we can produce,” Jahangir Alam, the executive director of Square pharma, told Dhaka Tribune.

The company had extended its range of services towards the highway of the global market, pioneering exports of medicines from Bangladesh in 1987 and has been exporting antibiotics and other pharmaceutical products.

It currently has an export market that covers 42 countries manifesting the credibility of Square Pharmaceuticals Limited, as per the company.

The top brass also thanked the initiative of the government that helped the local pharma giant to step foot abroad and tap into the foreign market.

The central bank earlier gave permission to four private business entities to invest $10 million in foreign countries in a major leap forward for reining in capital flight alongside easing global marketing of local products.

As one of the permitted companies, Square Pharmaceuticals will also invest $1 million in the Philippines, opening up an opportunity for the company to gain a foothold in the import-dependent $6 billion pharmaceutical market — the third-largest in the Asean region.

Square had been waiting to begin manufacturing in its newly built Kenyan plant much earlier. However, the pandemic delayed the commencement of operation abroad, according to the official of the company.

The plant, which is the largest in East and Central Africa, is in its final stages of getting operational licenses from the Pharmacy and Poisons Board, according to Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Industrialization, Trade and Enterprise Development Betty Maina.

“The plant is expected to get the licences this week to enable it to start full commercial operations for the production of malaria and diabetes drugs, and other essential medicines,” Maina told reporters on Friday.

She said when the plant commences full operations, Kenya would benefit from additional 500 direct jobs from the plant, lower costs of essential medicine and increased foreign exchange earnings from exports of drugs.

The CS was speaking during a meeting with visiting senior officials from Bangladesh at her office at the NSSF building to discuss the commissioning of the Square Pharmaceuticals plant.

Maina, who lauded the company for investing over $75 million in the country, encouraged the firm to inform other potential investors from Bangladesh to take advantage of Kenya’s conducive business environment and set up manufacturing facilities in Kenya.

During the meeting, it was agreed that Bangladesh would share with Kenya its extensive knowledge in pharmaceutical production, as well as set the required requisite skills.

“We agreed that Bangladesh will also enter into collaboration with Kenyan Universities on the training of industrial pharmacists in addition to the clinical pharmacists that Kenya is currently training to assist in the management of modern pharmaceutical plants like the one set up by Square Pharmaceuticals in Kenya,” said the CS.

The meeting was attended by the Principal Secretary for Industrialization Amb Kirimi Kaberia, Director of Industries in charge of Private Sector Development Stephen Odua, and the visiting officials from Square Pharmaceuticals who included the Executive Director (Finance and Strategy) Muhammad Zahangir Alam, General Manager (International Marketing) Prosenjit Chakroborty and General Manager (Human Resources) Fakhrul Hasan.

Square Pharmaceuticals posted Tk1,594 crore in annual profit for the 2020-21 fiscal year, which is 19.38% higher compared to the previous year, boosting the top pharmaceutical company's earnings per share to Tk17.99 for the year, up from Tk15.07.

The profit figures include that of its subsidiary companies. But the individual companies also posted growth in profits on a standalone basis.

The pharma market of the country is growing by 15% every year, according to the Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries. The market is expected to grow four times to Tk1 lakh crore by 2030.


Kenyan regulator allows Square Pharma to set up factory​

Any production in Kenya is considered local manufacturing in the East African Community, including Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi



Bigstock Pharmaceutical Medicament 117614000 Copy 1531415065145

Bigstock
Tribune Desk
June 1, 2022 4:13 AM

Square Pharmaceuticals Kenya EPZ Ltd, a subsidiary of Square Pharmaceuticals, recently received an approval to produce pharmaceutical medicine and sell them in the East African Community (EAC).

Any production in Kenya is considered local manufacturing in the EAC, which includes Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi.

The factory, which will be the largest in East and Central Africa, was in its final stages of getting operational licenses from the Pharmacy and Poisons Board, according to Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Industrialization, Trade and Enterprise Development Betty Maina.

It is a big achievement for Bangladesh as Square Pharma is going to manufacture drugs in a foreign country, Muhammad Zahangir Alam, CFO of the company, told the media.

Thanks to the approval, there is no problem in starting commercial production now, he said.

Some time is needed to start marketing of any drug in a brand-new factory, Alam added.

Once the marketing starts in full swing, the east African region would be covered from this factory, he said.

The offshore plant is set to help the company diversify its supply chain and mitigate any impact of Bangladesh's LDC graduation a decade later.

Square looks to get hold of the $30 million drug market in Kenya and five other East African countries — Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and South Sudan — and fulfill the unmet demands of medicines in those countries.

The company had extended its range of services towards the highway of the global market, pioneering exports of medicines from Bangladesh in 1987 and has been exporting antibiotics and other pharmaceutical products.

It currently has an export market that covers 42 countries manifesting the credibility of Square Pharmaceuticals Limited, as per the company.

The Bangladesh Bank earlier gave permission to four private business entities to invest $10 million in foreign countries in a major leap forward for reining in capital flight alongside easing global marketing of local products.

As one of the permitted companies, Square Pharmaceuticals will also invest $1 million in the Philippines, opening up an opportunity for the company to gain a foothold in the import-dependent $6 billion pharmaceutical market — the third-largest in the Asean region.

Square had been waiting to begin manufacturing in its newly built Kenyan plant much earlier.

However, the Covid-19 pandemic delayed the commencement of operation abroad, according to the official of the company.

The Kenyan project is financed by a 40:60 debt to equity ratio.

As a part of the investment, a total amount of $12 million has been remitted by Square Pharmaceuticals to Square Pharmaceuticals Kenya EPZ Ltd.
 
More made-up BRI FUD from Indian Media regarding Padma Bridge. Dhoti wetting syndrome. :lol:


Here is a congratulatory note from Pakistan. Refreshing that they do not go into the BRI discussion garbage like Indian media.

 
More made-up BRI FUD from Indian Media regarding Padma Bridge. Dhoti wetting syndrome. :lol:


Here is a congratulatory note from Pakistan. Refreshing that they do not go into the BRI discussion garbage like Indian media.

What do you really expect from the Indians? Respect, Kindness? Those are reserved for the white people they worship.
 
Sheltech Ceramics (tile factory) in Bhola
 
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