After Boeing, Bangladesh now buying 10 Airbus aircraft

After signing a deal to purchase 25 Boeing aircraft to modernise and expand Biman Bangladesh Airlines' fleet, the government has now taken the initiative to buy 10 more aircraft from European manufacturer Airbus. Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism M Rashiduzzaman Millat said a deal with Airbus on the matter could be signed by October.

The minister conveyed this information in response to journalists' questions at a press conference held at the conference room of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism at the Secretariat on Tuesday, September 29. Among the 10 aircraft proposed by Airbus are four A350-900 wide-body aircraft and six A321neo narrow-body aircraft.

Earlier, in April this year, Biman signed a deal with Boeing to purchase 14 aircraft. Later, with 11 more added in September, a deal was signed to purchase a total of 25 aircraft from Boeing. Among the new 11 are five Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners and six 737-8 Max.

The new Boeing aircraft will not be added to Biman's fleet all at once. According to the agreement, the previous 14 aircraft are scheduled to be delivered between 2031 and 2035. With the new 11 added, Biman's total order with Boeing stands at 25.

The minister said there is an initiative to lease more aircraft to maintain Biman's capacity until the new aircraft are in hand. The government had earlier said it planned to lease a maximum of 10 aircraft by 2027. A committee has also been formed to ensure transparency in this process.

Biman currently has 19 aircraft in its fleet. The authorities believe that with the addition of new aircraft, opportunities will be created to increase the number of flights on international routes as well as launch new destinations. Increasing the national flag carrier's capacity in international passenger transport has also been mentioned as a goal of Biman's fleet expansion plan.

If the deal to buy 10 aircraft from Airbus is signed, then alongside Boeing's 25, another 10 aircraft will be added to Biman's future fleet expansion plan. As a result, Biman Bangladesh Airlines will move forward towards implementing a major programme of acquiring a total of 35 new aircraft.