Biman Bangladesh Airlines has agreed to buy 11 more aircraft from Boeing, the US manufacturer announced on 23 September. The agreement was signed in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, during Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's visit.
According to Boeing, the new order is made up of five 787-10 Dreamliners and six 737-8 jets. It comes on top of the 14 Boeing aircraft Biman ordered in April 2026, which were eight 787-10s, two 787-9s and four 737-8s, in a deal valued at about $3.7 billion with deliveries planned from 2031 to 2035. Together, Biman now has 25 Boeing aircraft on order. The price of the new batch and its delivery schedule were not made public.
Who was in the room
Boeing said the signing was attended by Bangladesh's Civil Aviation Minister M. Rashiduzzaman Millat, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir, Invest Bangladesh Authority chairman Ashik Chowdhury, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau. A Boeing delegation later met the Prime Minister.
Biman chairman Rumee A. Hossain called the supplemental agreement “an important step” in the airline's fleet renewal and network expansion.
Brad McMullen, Boeing's senior vice president for commercial sales and marketing, said the extra 787 and 737 aircraft would give Biman the efficiency and flexibility it needs. Boeing says the new models burn 20 to 25 percent less fuel than the aircraft they replace.
Fleet plans and the Airbus question
Biman currently flies 19 aircraft, most of them Boeing 787s, 777s and 737s, on routes across the Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia and Europe. The Prime Minister's adviser Mahdi Amin said the purchase reflects Bangladesh's growing aviation needs and plans for new routes, and that talks with Airbus could take place in future. Separate negotiations have been under way on a possible order of ten Airbus aircraft.
Asked about the deal at the Foreign Ministry on 28 September, State Minister Humaiun Kobir said there was “no hidden agenda” and that the fleet must grow if Bangladesh wants to become a regional aviation hub.
Aircraft purchases from the United States have been part of wider efforts to narrow Bangladesh's trade surplus with the US since the two countries signed a reciprocal trade agreement in February. Biman's fleet and route plans are also followed closely by the Bikrampur community in New York and elsewhere abroad, who rely on the national carrier for travel home.
Sources: boeing.mediaroom.com, investors.boeing.com, en.wikipedia.org
