Airbus submits fresh 10-aircraft proposal to Biman
European aircraft manufacturer Airbus has submitted a fresh proposal to Biman Bangladesh Airlines to sell 10 aircraft, just weeks after Biman signed a $3.7 billion deal with US plane manufacturer Boeing.
“Airbus has recently submitted a proposal to Biman for selling its aircraft. Biman’s concerned committee is evaluating it,” Biman General Manager (Public Relations) Boshra Islam told The Daily Star.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. She, however, could not elaborate in this regard.
According to Biman insiders, Airbus has formally submitted a new fleet proposal to Biman’s techno-finance committee, offering four A350-900 widebody aircraft and six A321neo narrowbody aircraft.
Asked, an Airbus spokesperson in South Asia told The Daily Star, “We do not comment on discussions we might or might not be having with our customers.”
Airbus’s latest move came around two weeks after Biman, on April 30, formally signed an agreement with Boeing to acquire 14 aircraft -- eight Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner, two Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, and four Boeing 737 MAX 8 -- in a deal financed by the US Export-Import Bank.
The Boeing deal was tied to the former interim government's efforts to reduce Bangladesh’s trade deficit with the US and secure tariff relief. During negotiations over a 37 percent reciprocal tariff, Dhaka initially signalled plans for 25 Boeing aircraft, later reduced to 20 percent tariff and then 19 percent under a 2026 trade agreement.
Biman currently operates a fleet dominated by Boeing aircraft, with 14 of its 19 planes from the US maker.
Biman’s Boeing deal concluded more than three years of competition between the US manufacturer and its European rival for the airline’s next major fleet order. During this period, both manufacturers repeatedly submitted proposals.
Airbus had gained momentum in 2023 following high-level European diplomatic engagement, including a French presidential visit and a Bangladesh-UK statement referencing a possible purchase of 10 Airbus aircraft.
Airbus Vice President Edward Delahaye met Civil Aviation Minister Afroza Khanam, State Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat, and senior Biman officials in Dhaka on May 5, a few days after the Boeing deal.
He proposed a mixed-fleet strategy that would include Airbus aircraft alongside Boeing.
In response, Bangladeshi officials expressed their commitment to working closely with the company regarding the future composition of Biman’s fleet.
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