Boeing and Airbus to join Biman's fleet

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaid Islam has said that the government will purchase both Boeing and Airbus aircraft for the national flag carrier, Biman Bangladesh Airlines. This initiative is being taken with the aim of building a sustainable mixed fleet while safeguarding national interests.

Talking to reporters at the Foreign Ministry on Thursday afternoon (July 16), he said, "Our country needs both Boeing and Airbus. We will buy both."

Asked whether the plan to buy Boeing from the United States conflicts with France's interest in buying Airbus, or whether buying Boeing is the result of external pressure, the state minister dismissed such ideas.

He said the government is committed to prudent economic management, as well as strengthening the country's civil aviation sector.

Shama said, "The Prime Minister inherited a weak economy from previous governments. To put the economy on a stronger footing, on the one hand we need to follow austerity policies, and on the other hand we need to buy what the country needs. We need Boeing, we need Airbus. We will buy both."

Responding to a question about investment and trade, he said, Bangladesh does not give special priority to any particular country.

He said, 'Absolutely not. Bangladesh's interests are given top priority when it comes to investment.'

A day earlier, the government officially expressed its interest in purchasing Airbus aircraft to build a sustainable mixed fleet for Biman Bangladesh Airlines while safeguarding national interests.

This issue was discussed seriously at a courtesy call held at the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism on Wednesday. 

The meeting was attended by Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Afroza Khanam, State Minister M. Rashiduzzaman Millat, and ambassadors and senior diplomats of France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, and the European Union to Bangladesh.

The meeting was attended by French Ambassador to Bangladesh Jean-Marc Serre-Charlet, British High Commissioner Sarah Cook, Spanish Ambassador Gabriel Sistiaga, German Chargé d'Affaires Anya Turstein, and Deputy Head of the European Union Delegation Baiba Jerin.

During the meeting, the Minister and the State Minister said that Biman Bangladesh Airlines has a plan to include Airbus aircraft in its long-term fleet expansion program. At the same time, the government aims to build a sustainable mixed fleet while fully safeguarding national interests.

Bangladesh's interest in purchasing Airbus and reiterated their willingness to provide all necessary support for the potential Airbus purchase and broader cooperation in the civil aviation sector.

The meeting also reaffirmed the commitment to further strengthen the long-standing friendly relations and expand the multidimensional partnership between Bangladesh, the European Union and its member states.

In addition, various ways to deepen cooperation in Bangladesh's civil aviation sector were also discussed, with special emphasis on the expansion and modernization of Biman Bangladesh Airlines' fleet.