It has opened the commercial air traffic duel between Airbus and Boeing the only two large passenger aeroplane makers. We have the Airbus Super jumbo A380 and Boeing Dreamliner 787 both are competing for the growing air travel market.

While Airbus believes in A380 to economically fly over 700 plus passengers from point to point, Boeing is betting on its 787 to be more viable for the future air travel growth.

Both the exponents have points in favour or against their contention. Only time will tell who was right and had the better market forecast of travel trends.

Can we see the A380 landing in Dhaka on its round the world demonstration flight sometimes next year? It makes one remember the first landing of the 747 in Dhaka more than a decade ago!

However, I wonder if airport-wise poor ZIA will ever have a chance to see the A380! Even today two 747 within half an hour of each other makes a mockery of ZIA as far as passenger and luggage handling is considered. On top of it all the illegal high rises ignoring ICA safety regulations will possibly relegate ZIA only to smaller planes in the future from a hub in India or Bangkok.

While others move forward, we despite all the cacophony of high sounding development seminars and what not are as usual moving in the reverse gear! May be the threat from ICA will herald a further round of seminars and workshops and nothing else.