Regent Airways is set to buy two aircraft for nearly $15 million in a bid to open flights by August.
The upcoming carrier said it signed a letter of intent with German operator Augsburg Airways to obtain two 50-seater Dash-8-Q300 aircraft, manufactured in 1999 and 2000 respectively in Canada by Bombardier Aerospace, according to the airline.
“We are likely to begin commercial flights in the first week of August,” said Mashruf Habib, managing director of Regent Airways of HG Aviation Ltd.
The company is a concern of Chittagong-based conglomerate Habib Group that is into apparels, power, steel, paper and fertiliser. The Group records turnover worth over Tk 2,000 crore a year.
Regent, which already received permission to set up infrastructure for the airline, also said it aims to induct two Boeing 757-200 aircraft on dry lease for four years.
“The aircraft will be gradually deployed to operate on Regent's domestic and mid-haul routes,” said Imran Asif, chief executive of Regent Airways.
Regent is the fourth entrant to the aviation market. But two of them -- Best Air and Aviana Airways -- are now grounded, mainly because of the financial crunch.
Habib said his carrier would be able to stay on in the air travel business because of its parent organisation’s. financial strength.
sohel@thedailystar.net