GMG Airlines

Last updated
GMG Airlines
GMGLogo2010.jpg
IATA ICAO Callsign
Z5GMGGMG
Founded1997
Commenced operations6 April 1998
Ceased operations30 March 2012
Hubs Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport
Fleet size5
Destinations5
Parent company Beximco
HeadquartersPlot # 1 & 3, Road # 21, Nikunja-2, Dhaka 1229, Bangladesh
Key peopleDavid Holleran
Asif Ahmed
Mizanur Rahman Siddique
Ashish Rai Choudhury
Shayan F. Rahman
Website www.gmgairlines.com

GMG Airlines was an airline in Bangladesh. It was the country's first, and until recently, the largest private airline having been established in 1997, [1] with its head office close to Dhaka airport in Nikunja-2 Dhaka, Bangladesh. [2] It operated both domestic and international flights. Its primary hub was Shahjalal International Airport, located in Dhaka. In 2009 Beximco Group bought a major stake in GMG Airlines. In October 2012, India provided a temporary maintenance and operational base at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata. With no overseas assets, by 2012 GMG Airlines' only international flights were to Kathmandu, Nepal. On 28 March 2012, GMG announced suspension of operations pending acquisition of new fleet. It expected to resume operations later in 2012 but has remained suspended well into 2019. [3] The company slogan was Explore.

Contents

History

GMG Airline was established in 1997 and started domestic operations on 6 April 1998. It was founded by two brothers; Nini Sattar and Shahab Sattar, owners of the GMG Industrial Corporation. International services were launched six years later on 8 September 2004, with service from Chittagong to Kolkata.

GMG began regular flights to Bangkok, Delhi and Kathmandu on 20 October 2006. It started services to Kuala Lumpur on 24 January 2007. The airline started its operation to the Middle East with daily flights to Dubai on 1 February 2008. In July 2010, GMG initiated flights to Jeddah and Riyadh. [4]

The airline also served Abu Dhabi and Karachi as well as domestic stations Jessore and Sylhet [5]

A GMG Airlines Bombardier Dash 8 GMGAirlines-01.jpg
A GMG Airlines Bombardier Dash 8

In February 2008 the airline added a leased Boeing 747-300 to the fleet starting wide-body operations, this proved to be a White Elephant in an era which saw Global economic problems and an unprecedented peak in oil prices, thus causing a substantial loss to the carrier, the 747 was eventually phased out after just five months of service.

On 17 June 2009, the largest conglomerate of Bangladesh, BEXIMCO took a 50% stake in the airline, re-branding it and raising service standards to a higher level. [6]

On 28 March 2012, GMG announced they would suspend all operations in preparation for re-fleeting the airline. It expected to resume operations later in 2013 but years later in January 2022, this situation remains unchanged. [3]

In 2013, India provided temporary maintenance and an operational base at Kolkata. With no overseas assets, GMG international operations consisted solely of flights between Kolkata and Kathmandu in 2014.

As of 30 May 2016, Sonali Bank said GMG Airlines owed the bank over Tk 2.28 billion. [7] Sonali Bank attempted to have an auction of owner Salman F. Rahman's home, which was collateral for the loan. [7] According to CEO Sanjiv Kapoor "[GMG's] operations will be temporarily suspended with effect from Mar 30, as we await the delivery of new-generation aircraft, clear legacy issues, execute the rightsizing and organize ourselves better to take up the future challenges". GMG has stated it is planning to adopt a new business strategy in light of rising fuel prices and changing international competitive environment through a 360 degree restructure of its strategy, organization, fleet, and business model. It will redesign its route network to focus on higher yield, higher growth domestic and regional routes using new generation narrow-body aircraft. [8]

Destinations

At the time of closure in March 2012, GMG were operating internationally to Kolkata, as well as domestic services between Dhaka and Chittagong.

Fleet

As of March 2012, the fleet consisted of the following aircraft, though only the Dash-8 were operational at the time:

GMG Fleet [9]
AircraftIn FleetOrdersSeatsNotes
Bombardier Dash 8 100 1037
Bombardier Dash 8 300 1050In the new livery
McDonnell Douglas MD-82 20150In the new livery, ex Lion Air
McDonnell Douglas MD-83 10153In the new livery
Total50

GMG previously also had one Boeing 737-800 (with winglets), one Boeing 747-300 and three Boeing 767-300ER, besides additional Dash-8 and MD-82/83, at different stages of the company's operational history. [10]

Related Research Articles

Biman Bangladesh Airlines commonly known as Biman, pronounced, is the national flag carrier of Bangladesh. With its main hub at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, the airline also operates flights from its secondary hubs at Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong and as well as Osmani International Airport in Sylhet. The airline provides international passenger and cargo services to multiple destinations and has air service agreements in 42 countries. The headquarters of the airline, Balaka Bhaban, is located in Kurmitola, in the northern part of Dhaka. Annual Hajj flights; transporting tourists, migrants, and non-resident Bangladeshi workers; and the activities of its subsidiaries form an integral part of the corporate business of the airline. Bangladesh's air transport sector, which is experiencing an 8% annual growth rate thanks to a large number of outbound tourists, domestic tourists, and non-resident Bangladeshi travelers, is very competitive with stiff competition among a number of private Bangladeshi airlines as well as Biman.

AHK Air Hong Kong Limited is an all-cargo airline based in Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong, with its main hub at Hong Kong International Airport. The airline operates an express freight network to 12 destinations in nine countries, including China, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam. It has a fleet of Airbus A300-600F General Freighters, which the airline was the launch customer of this new variant. Its head office is located on the fourth floor of the South Tower of Cathay Pacific City.

Nepal Airlines Corporation, formerly known as Royal Nepal Airlines, is the flag carrier of Nepal. Founded in 1958, it is the oldest airline of the country. Out of its main base at Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu, the airline operates domestic services within Nepal and medium-haul services in Asia. The airline's first aircraft was a Douglas DC-3, used to serve domestic routes and a handful of destinations in India. The airline acquired its first jet aircraft, Boeing 727s, in 1972. As of 13 July 2020, the airline operates a fleet of seven aircraft. Since 2013, the airline has been on the list of air carriers banned in the European Union.

Compañía Boliviana de Transporte Aéreo Privado Aerosur, S.A. was a privately owned airline from Bolivia, which served as the country's flag carrier since 1998, along with state-owned Boliviana de Aviación. Headquartered in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, it operated a network of domestic and international scheduled passenger flights with its hub at the city's Viru Viru International Airport. As of 2010, the airline had 1200 employees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drukair</span> Flag aircraft carrier of Bhutan

Drukair Corporation Limited, operating as Drukair — Royal Bhutan Airlines, is the flag carrier of the Kingdom of Bhutan, headquartered in the western dzongkhag of Paro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport</span> International airport in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport is the largest international airport in Bangladesh. It is located in Kurmitola, 17 kilometres from the city centre, in the northern part of the capital city Dhaka. The airport is also used as a part of Bangladesh Air Force Base. The airport has an area of 802 hectares. The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) operates and maintains the airport. It started operations in 1980, taking over from Tejgaon Airport as the principal international airport of the country. The airport was formerly known as Dacca International Airport and later as Zia International Airport, before being named in honour of Shah Jalal, who is one of the most respected Sufi saints of Bangladesh. The IATA code of the airport "DAC" is derived from "Dacca", which is the previously used spelling for "Dhaka".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phuket Air</span>

Phuket Air was an airline based in Bangkok, Thailand. The airline specialised in leasing its fleet of Boeing 747 and 737 aircraft on an ACMI as well as wet lease basis to airlines worldwide needing extra passenger capacity. Other services provided included international charter services, ad hoc wet leasing services, religious pilgrimage charters (Hajj/Umrah) and dry lease services. Saudi Arabian Airlines was a major long term client of Phuket Air. In the past, the airline provided scheduled domestic and international air services. Its main base was at Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok, with a hub at Phuket International Airport, Phuket. The airline was an international scheduled carrier before it shifted its focus to the ACMI/wet lease market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shah Amanat International Airport</span> Airport in Bangladesh

Shah Amanat International Airport is an international airport serving Bangladesh's southeastern port city of Chittagong. Operated and maintained by the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh, it is the second-largest international airport in Bangladesh after Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is used by the Bangladesh Air Force as a part of 'BAF Zahurul Haq Base'. It was formerly known as MA Hannan International Airport, named after Awami League politician M. A. Hannan, but was renamed on 2 April 2005 by the Government of Bangladesh, after an 18th-century Islamic saint, Shah Amanat. It is capable of annually handling 1.5 million passengers and 6,000 tonnes of cargo. It also serves as a base for the Arirang Flying School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sonali Bank</span> State-owned Bangladeshi commercial banking institution

Sonali Bank Limited is the principal state-owned leading public commercial bank in Bangladesh. It is the largest bank in the country. Ziaul Hasan Siddiqui is the chairman of the Bank. Niranjan Chandra Debnath and Sanchia Binte Ali are the deputy managing directors of the bank.

The history of aviation in pre-1947 India began with kites, the traditional heavier-than-air man-made object that is flown by one or more people while staying on the ground. The first recorded manned flight was arranged by the Dhaka Nawab Family in 1882, which resulted in the death of the flyer.

United Airways (BD) Ltd., operated as United Airways, was a Bangladeshi airline headquartered in Uttara, Dhaka. It operated flights from its main hub at Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka and secondary hub at Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong. It was founded in 2005 and began flights on 10 July 2007 with a Bombardier Dash 8–100, purchased from Island Air. United Airways was the first listed company in the aviation sector of Bangladesh; it became listed in July 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport between India and Bangladesh</span> Transport links between India and Bangladesh

Transport between India and Bangladesh bears much historical and political significance for both countries, which possessed no ground transport links for 43 years, starting with the partition of Bengal and India in 1947. The Kolkata–Dhaka Bus (1999) and the Dhaka–Agartala Bus (2001) are the primary road links between the two countries; a direct Kolkata-Agartala running through Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh is being developed by both countries. The Maitri Express was launched to revive a railway link between Kolkata and Dhaka that had been shut for 43 years.

Tashi Air Pvt. Ltd, trading as Bhutan Airlines, is Bhutan's first private airline. Its head office is in Thimphu.

Regent Airways was a Bangladeshi airline owned by HG Aviation Ltd, a fully owned subsidiary of Habib Group. It is based at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. Due to its bad financial condition they are looking for investors to raise funds and resume operations.

MEGA Maldives Airlines was a Maldivian airline based at Ibrahim Nasir International Airport. It suspended all operations on 2 May 2017.

NOVOAIR is an airline based in Dhaka, Bangladesh operating mostly domestic flights. It operates 25 flights each day from Dhaka to its eight destinations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salman F Rahman</span> Member of Jatiya Sangsad

Salman Fazlur Rahman is a Bangladeshi businessman, advisor to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and a member of the Jatiya Sangsad. Currently, he is holding the rank of a cabinet minister and serving as the Private Industry and Investment Adviser to Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. He was ranked 1685th on the list of billionaires in the world published by Beijing-based Hurun Gobal in 2017. He is the vice chairman of Beximco Group, one of the largest conglomerates in Bangladesh. Earlier he served as the private sector development affairs adviser to the Bangladesh Awami League President Sheikh Hasina. He was the president of several trade bodies including Association of Television Channel Owners (ATCO). In January 2019, he was appointed as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's adviser on private industry and investment.

US-Bangla Airlines is a privately owned Bangladeshi airline headquartered in Dhaka and based at Shahjalal International Airport under the umbrella companies of US-Bangla Group. The airline is the largest private airline in Bangladesh in terms of fleet size and overall second largest airline after the flag carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines. Though Airlines is the flagship company of the parent US-Bangla Group, it owns numerous businesses in other industries such as real estate, education, media, electronics, consumer foods.

References

  1. ↑ "About Us". GMG Airlines. Archived from the original on 2011-12-26. Retrieved 2011-12-12.
  2. ↑ "Contact Us". GMG Airlines. Archived from the original on 2011-12-24. Retrieved 2011-12-29. "Plot # 1 & 3, Road # 21 Nikunja-2, Dhaka 1229"
  3. 1 2 "Home". GMG Airlines. Archived from the original on 2012-03-30.
  4. ↑ "Timetable". GMG Airlines. Archived from the original on 2011-12-17. Retrieved 2011-12-12.
  5. ↑ "The New GMG". GMG Airlines. Archived from the original on 2012-03-07.
  6. ↑ "Beximco buys GMG shares". The Daily Star.
  7. 1 2 "Sonali Bank to put up businessman Salman F Rahman's home on auction". Financial Express (Dhaka, Bangladesh). 29 July 2016.
  8. ↑ "GMG suspends flight operations". bdnews24.com. 2012-03-28.
  9. ↑ "GMG Fleet Information". GMG Airlines. Archived from the original on 2012-03-02.
  10. ↑ "GMG historic fleet". Archived from the original on 2012-11-12. Retrieved 2012-03-27.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.