Haas urges Biman to buy more Boeing airplanes

Biman Bangladesh Airlines could purchase more Boeing airplanes, US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas said at a meeting with Biman officials held Tuesday.

The meeting took place at Biman's head office, Balaka.

An anonymous source at Biman confirmed that Peter Haas made the proposal to Biman. However, Biman did not immediately respond to the proposal.

Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism will first be notified of Peter Haas' proposal, the source said. Afterwards, the matter may be raised at Biman's board of directors.

The US has proposed to sell Dreamliner Boeing 787-9 and 787-10 airplanes. Aside from that proposal, post-purchase service of the Boeing airplanes already in Biman's fleet, parts, and other matters were discussed at the meeting.

"Various matters regarding Boeing were discussed with the US Ambassador," Biman CEO Shafiqul Azim told the Daily Samakal.

Aside from the US Ambassador and the Biman CEO, Biman Chairman Mostafa Kamal and other officials, as well as representatives from Boeing, were also present at the pre-scheduled meeting.

Biman Bangladesh Airlines, the national carrier, currently has a modern fleet of 21 aircraft. Among them, 16 are Boeing and the other 5 are Dash-8.

Meanwhile, Biman has been planning to include Airbus airplanes in its fleet. In May this year, a joint statement was signed between the UK and Bangladesh to purchase 10 A-350 model Airbus airplanes, to which the Biman board of directors agreed primarily.

By 2030, Airbus will provide Biman with eight passenger-carrying aircraft, and two cargo ones, according to the joint statement.

During his first-ever Bangladesh visit in Septemeber this year, French President Emmanuel Macron thanked Bangladesh for committing to order airplanes from Airbus.

"I thank you for your trust in the European aerospace industry. And this commitment for 10 Airbus A-350 is important," Macron said in a statement to the media after a meeting with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

/KN/