"We are talking to interested parties... If we find it feasible, we will float international tenders shortly," State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told the news agency Tuesday.

The minister said a board meeting of Biman today will discuss the pros and cons of recruiting a strategic partner for the loss-making national carrier.

The state minister said the previous Awami League government had undertaken a project, funded by the World Bank, to appoint strategic partners for Biman and hired consultants to carry out the work.

But despite paying consultants US$ 1.6 million nothing had been achieved, he said.

Alamgir said, "We are seriously looking for strategic partners so that we can share management and aircraft with a reputed airline to make Biman a profitable corporation."

"It is very urgent," he noted.

He said the managing director of Biman had already held talks with the Emirates and Thai Airways and he himself talked with the Gulf Air.

"But we are yet to select the scope of the areas where a strategic partner could work," he said.

Alamgir said, "We've seen Sri Lanka airline is doing fine following its partnership with Emirates. We think we can also have a strategic partner because we have a very good market."

Biman currently has six DC-10 aircraft aged 20 years, four Airbus 310s bought in the early 1990s, and three Fokker F-28 aircraft that are mostly used for domestic and regional flights.