Biman Bangladesh to sign deal for 10 Airbus aircraft on October 7

Biman Bangladesh Airlines is set to sign a multibillion-dollar agreement with European aircraft manufacturer Airbus on October 7 for the acquisition of 10 new aircraft, according to sources familiar with the development.

The signing ceremony is scheduled to be held at a hotel in the capital on the evening of that day, the sources said.

Biman and Airbus have reached consensus on several outstanding issues following a series of negotiations, leaving no major unsettled matter between the two sides, they said.

The proposed package comprises four Airbus A350-900 wide-body and six A321neo narrow-body jets, which are intended to support Biman's future long-haul and regional network expansion.

Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M. Rashiduzzaman Millat had earlier confirmed that Bangladesh would acquire 10 Airbus aircraft and said an agreement was expected to be signed in October.

“Yes, we are buying 10 Airbus aircraft. Inshallah, the agreement will be signed in October,” the minister recently told journalists at the Secretariat.

The signing on October 7 would mark the conclusion of months of evaluation and negotiations over Biman's Airbus procurement, coming shortly after the national flag carrier expanded its Boeing acquisition program to 25 aircraft.

The Airbus deal, together with two Boeing agreements, would take Biman's planned new-aircraft pipeline to 35 aircraft, including 19 widebody and 16 narrowbody jets.

Biman's latest Boeing agreement was signed in New York on 23 September under a “Right to Purchase Additional Aircraft” provision included in the 14-aircraft purchase agreement signed on April 30.

The supplementary agreement covers five Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner widebody aircraft and six Boeing 737-8 MAX narrowbody aircraft. The 11 aircraft will cost about USD 2.7 billion, with the price based on the same rate agreed under the April contract, the minister said during a question-and-answer session with journalists.

The April 30 agreement covered the purchase of 14 Boeing aircraft worth USD 3.7 billion. CompareCars

Together, the two Boeing agreements cover 25 aircraft — 15 widebody jets, comprising two 787-9s and 13 787-10s, and 10 737-8 MAX narrowbody aircraft.

Under the contracts, the first Boeing aircraft is scheduled for delivery in November 2031 and the final aircraft by 2035.

However, Biman has requested Boeing to deliver at least one aircraft earlier, possibly in 2027 or 2028, the minister said.