The Biman Bangladesh Airlines is set to sign an agreement with European aircraft manufacturer Airbus today (7 October) to acquire 10 new aircraft as part of its major fleet expansion programme.
The signing ceremony, titled “Spreading Our Wings Together,” will be held at the Utshab Hall of Radisson Blu Dhaka Water Garden at 6:30pm, according to a media invitation issued by Biman yesterday (6 October).
The ceremony will bring together representatives from the government, Biman and Airbus. Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir, Invest Bangladesh Executive Chairman Ashik Chowdhury, and Airbus India and South Asia President and Managing Director Jürgen Westermeier are scheduled to attend.
Biman and Airbus have reached consensus on several outstanding issues following months of negotiations, leaving no major unsettled matters between the two sides, sources familiar with the development told The Business Standard.
The proposed package comprises four Airbus A350-900 widebody aircraft and six A321neo narrowbody jets, which are intended to support Biman’s future long-haul and regional network expansion.
The latest Airbus package is expected to be worth more than $2 billion, according to sources.
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 today will 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 programme to 25 aircraft.
Biman’s 35-aircraft expansion plan
The Airbus deal, together with two Boeing agreements, will take Biman’s planned new-aircraft pipeline to 35 aircraft, comprising 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 30 April.
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 $2.7 billion, with the price based on the same rate agreed under the April contract, the minister said.
The April 30 agreement covered the purchase of 14 Boeing aircraft worth $3.7 billion.
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.
With the planned Airbus purchase, Biman is set to undertake one of the largest fleet expansion programmes in its history, with 35 new aircraft expected to significantly increase its capacity for both long-haul and regional operations.
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