Backers sought for airline to operate Stansted - Bangladesh flights
13.02.07
A businessman seeking investors for a start an airline linking London Stansted and Bangladesh, the Telegraph newspaper reports.
Having researched the project for the past 18 months, Belal Rouf has drawn up plans for the new carrier, Airest, which would operate three return flights to Dhaka a week. The airline would run direct services without any stop-overs.
With plans for offices in the heart of London's Bangladeshi community, Brick Lane in the East End, he has targeted the 300,000 people who make regular trips home to see friends and family as well as business traffic. Stansted has been chosen because it is near to where many potential passengers live.
Mr Rouf plans to launch the airline with fares starting from £430, against £499.90 and upwards offered by its rivals. The airline would operate to using a Boeing 767-300 ER with 12 first-class seats and premium passengers living within 31 miles of the airport offered chauffeured services.
Mr Rouf expects the airline to be profitable within two years with planes 90 percent full overall. By the end of 2009, his projections suggest an annual turnover of £18m and a net profit of £1.4m, the newspaper adds.