The ministry yesterday proposed purchase of 10 aircraft but the finance minister shot down the proposal, saying Biman needs to be overhauled first. He asked the ministry to submit a "cost-effective plan" outlining how excess manpower can be trimmed and an efficient management be put in place.

Besides, he said it would require hundreds of crores of taka to buy 10 aircraft at a time which the government cannot afford and advised the ministry to buy them in phases.

The civil aviation ministry proposed purchase of six Airbuses and four 777 Boeings to the finance ministry.

Saifur suggested that the ministry take initiatives to buy four aircraft -- two long-haul planes for international routes and as many small ones for regional routes to meet the immediate needs.

He, however, told journalists, "This is not our final commitment."

After a meeting with the state minister for civil aviation and officials of Biman and Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh yesterday at the Secretariat, Saifur admitted to the waiting reporters that new planes are required for passenger safety and improving services of the national flag carrier.

"We were saved in Sylhet because of Hazrat Shahjalal's blessings and again in Chittagong perhaps because of Hazrat Shah Amanat's blessings, but how long will we be able to survive on the blessings of the pirs and fakirs (dervishes)?" he asked.

State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Mir Md Nasiruddin said, "I cannot sleep peacefully at night because of the 25-year-old planes. I am always anxious about whether or not Biman aircraft would land safely with the passengers. That is why we have sat with the finance minister to get rid of the anxiety."

Mir Nasir later told the reporters that they have been offered Airbuses for $90 million each and Boeing 777 for $129 million apiece.

"Airbus and Boeing are the two companies in the world that supply aircraft. The cost will determine which company we will buy the planes from. However, steps will have to be taken first to make Biman profitable," Saifur said.

"Though Biman has made some progress over the last one or two years, it performance has never been quite satisfactory. There have been no returns on the money spent in the past on purchase of aircraft," the finance minister observed.

Continued Saifur: "If the management is not made efficient and the organisational structure effective before the new aircraft are bought, it is possible that there will be no returns on investment this time too."

The minister asked the officials to seek out a strategic partner for Biman as is done all over the world and told them that Thai Airways and Singapore Airlines have grown this way.

He said after the recent crash-landing of a Biman flight in Chittagong, the authorities are struggling to keep the international flight schedule. "That is why the civil aviation ministry rushed to me with the proposal of buying aircraft, but there is no allocation in the budget for aircraft purchase."

The ministry officials told him that they would buy the planes either on credit or through other arrangements, but for that the government's guarantee is required.

Saifur explained that the government could give a guarantee of $400 million at the maximum. "(But) if the entire limit is exhausted for purchasing planes, how would the government provide guarantee for other purposes?" he quipped.