এন.এম.আই.এম নিউজ
Jurgen Westermeier and Biman Bangladesh Airlines Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Kaiser Sohel Ahmed signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organizations.
According to the agreement, deliveries of the Airbus aircraft could begin in 2033. These aircraft are scheduled to be added to the airline's fleet in phases until 2036 or 2037. However, the total commercial value of the purchase of the 10 aircraft has not yet been disclosed.
Biman plans to operate long-haul international routes with four A350-900 aircraft. The six A321neos will be used on regional and medium-haul routes. The smaller A321neos can be used on routes that do not require larger aircraft.Currently, the majority of Biman's jet fleet is made by Boeing. With the addition of 10 new Airbus aircraft to the fleet, the national flag carrier will operate a fleet of aircraft from both Boeing and Airbus for the first time.
Earlier this year, Biman signed a deal to buy a total of 25 aircraft from Boeing in two phases. On April 30, a deal was signed to buy 14 aircraft for about $3.7 billion. This includes eight 787-10 Dreamliners, two 787-9 Dreamliners and four 737-8 aircraft. The value of the deal in Bangladeshi currency is about 45,408 crore taka.Then, on September 23, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session in New York, Biman signed a deal to buy 11 more Boeing aircraft. These include five 787-10s and six 737-8 Maxes. The two-phase deal brings the total number of aircraft Biman has purchased from Boeing to 25.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism said that Boeing's aircraft could be added to the airline's fleet from 2031. It could take 11 to 12 years to get all the aircraft. The full price will not have to be paid at the time of the contract. The price of each aircraft will be paid at the time of delivery. However, the airline authorities have requested that at least one aircraft be delivered in 2027 or 2028.
With the addition of 10 Airbus and 25 Boeing aircraft, the number of new aircraft will reach 35. Of these, 19 are wide-body and 16 are narrow-body aircraft.
Biman currently has 19 aircraft in its fleet. Of these, 14 are Boeings and five are Dash-8s. However, two of the aircraft are almost obsolete. The remaining 17 are also scheduled to be retired from the fleet in the next few years.
Biman is trying to lease 10 more aircraft to fill the capacity gap before the old aircraft are phased out. Despite several attempts, the state-owned company has not yet been able to lease any aircraft.
If the 25 Boeings and 10 Airbuses contracted to the current 19 aircraft are added, the number of aircraft in Biman's fleet could exceed 50 in the future. However, Biman is considering leasing aircraft to meet short-term capacity shortages until the new aircraft are added to the fleet.
