Boeing

Biman Bangladesh orders 25 widebody aircraft from Boeing, reports say

The reported order is yet another twist in a long saga of Biman Bangladesh Airlines' deals with planemakers.

Photo: Steve Lynes from Sandshurst, United Kingdom, via Wikimedia Commons

Multiple outlets have reported that Biman Bangladesh Airlines, the flag carrier of Bangladesh, has ordered 25 widebody Boeing aircraft. Citing a Bangladeshi official, they outlined that the carrier would welcome the first aircraft in 2029.

Several outlets, including ch-aviation, Channel News Asia, The Business Times, and others, have cited Agence France-Presse’s (AFP) interview with Mahbubur Rahman, the Secretary of the Bangladeshi Ministry of Commerce, where he said that as part of a tariff deal with the US, the country has ordered 25 widebody Boeing aircraft for Biman Bangladesh Airlines.

“We made a commitment and ordered 25 widebodies, and we expect to receive the first one in 2029,” Rahman stated, without disclosing the exact models of the aircraft that the country has ordered for its flag carrier.

The Engine Cowl has approached Boeing for comment.

On November 11, the planemaker released its October orders and deliveries numbers, which did not unveil any orders made by Bangladesh and/or Biman Bangladesh Airlines. A single unidentified customer purchased seven 787-9s during the month, while another unidentified carrier ordered two 737 MAX aircraft.

The delivery timeline would also somewhat contradict previous statements by Shafiqur Rahman, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Biman Bangladesh Airlines. In June, Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS), the country’s news agency, reported that Rahman, the airline’s CEO, said that the carrier will be leasing “at least two aircraft as global plane manufacturers like Airbus and Boeing will not be able to deliver new aircraft before 2031.”

Rahman added that Airbus and Boeing “have submitted proposals to sell new aircraft to Biman,” and that the airline’s “techno-financial committee is currently evaluating their offers.” He concluded that Biman Bangladesh Airlines needed new aircraft to meet the demand for air travel, with the carrier exploring ways to acquire single-aisle and twin-aisle jets.

Meanwhile, in early November, Michael Miller, the Ambassador Head of the European Union’s (EU) Delegation to Bangladesh, called for Airbus’ inclusion in Biman Bangladesh Airlines’ fleet renewal plans, "in line with Bangladesh's long-standing assurances of transparency and non-discrimination,” according to the BSS.

At the time, the Bangladeshi news agency detailed that the airline had been evaluating proposals from Airbus for 10 A350 and four A320neo family aircraft, and Boeing, which also proposed to sell 10 787 and four 737 MAX aircraft to the airline.

In February 2024, Muhammad Faruk Khan, the former Minister of Civil Aviation and Tourism of Bangladesh, stated that Bangladesh will buy aircraft from either Airbus or Boeing, per the BSS, which added that Airbus has been in talks with Biman Bangladesh Airlines to sell up to 10 A350s, including two A350F freighters.

Yet in another twist in the story, in September 2023, Reuters reported that Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, confirmed that Bangladesh had committed to buy 10 A350 aircraft. Macron thanked Sheikh Hasina, the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, who was ousted during fatal country-wide protests in 2024, for trusting the European aerospace industry.

Then, Mahbub Ali, another former Minister of Civil Aviation and Tourism of Bangladesh, said that the country had asked Airbus to deliver the aircraft in “phases,” with the new aircraft being slated to be used “on new and old routes.”

Airbus’ latest orders and deliveries filing still showed that the carrier had no orders for the A350, or any aircraft, for that matter. (Except for two A310s that the European planemaker had already delivered to the airline, which operated a total of six different A310 airframes during its history.)

According to planespotters.net, Biman Bangladesh Airlines currently has 19 aircraft in its fleet: four 737-800, four 777-300ER, four 787-8, two 787-9, and five De Havilland Canada DHC Dash 8 Q400s.