Biman seals the deal for 10 Airbus jets

Biman Bangladesh Airlines on Wednesday signed an agreement with Airbus to acquire 10 aircraft, taking the national flag carrier’s planned long-term fleet acquisition programme to 35 jets.

The agreement covers four A350-900 wide-body aircraft and six A321neo narrow-body jets. Airbus India and South Asia President and Managing Director Jürgen Westermeier and Biman Board Chairman Rumee A Hossain signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organisations.

Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir witnessed the signing ceremony, titled “Spreading Our Wings Together”, at the Utshab Hall of Radisson Blu Dhaka Water Garden in the capital.

Invest Bangladesh Executive Chairman Ashik Chowdhury, Civil Aviation and Tourism Secretary Fahmida Akhter and Biman Managing Director and CEO Sohail Ahmed were also present.

The deal marks a major step in Biman’s long-term fleet modernisation and expansion plan and paves the way for Airbus aircraft to join the national carrier’s future fleet.

The four A350-900s are expected to strengthen Biman’s long-haul operations, while the six A321neos will primarily serve regional and medium-haul routes.

Biman had earlier planned to acquire 14 Boeing aircraft �" eight 787-10 Dreamliners, two 787-9 Dreamliners and four 737-8s. It later added another 11 Boeing aircraft, taking its planned Boeing acquisition programme to 25 jets.

With the 10 Airbus aircraft, Biman’s long-term acquisition pipeline now stands at 35 jets �" 19 wide-body and 16 narrow-body aircraft.

The expanded fleet is expected to allow Biman to deploy aircraft more efficiently across long-haul, regional and short- to medium-haul routes while supporting expansion of its international network.

Biman is also considering leasing aircraft to meet immediate capacity requirements before the new aircraft under the long-term programme are delivered.