Biman Bangladesh Massively Modernizes Fleet, With 25 New Boeing Planes

Biman Bangladesh Airlines, the national carrier of Bangladesh, has absolutely massive growth plans. Several months back, the airline placed its biggest aircraft order in history, representing a major fleet modernization for the airline.

The airline has now announced that it’s nearly doubling that order, meaning it has nearly twice as many jets on order as it currently has in its fleet. One can’t help but wonder if all of these planes will actually be delivered, or what…

Biman Bangladesh picks up Boeing 787s & 737 MAXs

Earlier this year, Biman Bangladesh placed a firm order for 14 new Boeing aircraft, including for eight 787-10s, two 787-9s, and four 737 MAX 8s:

• The Boeing 787-10s are being ordered for the first time, and will be used to serve high demand flights to the Middle East
• The Boeing 787-9s complement the existing 787-9s, and will be used to support long haul service to Europe and North America
• The Boeing 737 MAX 8s are being ordered for the first time, and will be used to connect Bangladesh to destinations across the Middle East, India, and Southeast Asia

We’re going to have to be patient with this order, though, since deliveries are expected between November 2031 and October 2035, so that is quite the wait (and that’s best case scenario, and we know Boeing isn’t great at delivering planes on time).

Now the airline has placed an order for an additional 11 Boeing jets, including five 787-10s and six 737 MAX 8s. The delivery timeline for these 11 incremental orders hasn’t yet been announced, though one would assume that they’ll join the fleet after the previously ordered planes, which would take us into 2035 and beyond.

In total, this means the airline has 13 Boeing 787-10s, two Boeing 787-9s, and 10 Boeing 737 MAX 8s, on order.

Here’s how Biman Bangladesh Chairman Rumee Hossain describes the carrier’s growth plans:

“Today’s supplemental agreement is an important step in Biman’s ongoing fleet renewal and network expansion. This order responds to specific requirements in our fleet plan. Our team’s working relationship with Boeing over the years has given us confidence in the delivery and support arrangements. As the national flag carrier, we remain committed to developing Biman’s network and capabilities in a manner that responds to the connectivity needs of the people of Bangladesh, our expatriate community, business and tourism. This agreement is one part of a broader, carefully considered plan to strengthen the country’s international connectivity in the years ahead.”

How does this order fit into Biman Bangladesh’s fleet?

For context on Biman Bangladesh’s fleet, the airline currently has 19 aircraft, including four Boeing 737-800s, four Boeing 777-300ERs, six Boeing 787s (four 787-8s and two 787-9s), and five De Havilland Dash 8s. These newly ordered planes obviously don’t replace the turboprops, so it’s pretty wild to see a non-startup airline with 14 jets ordering 25 more jets.

One would assume that the 737-800s and 777-300ERs will eventually be retired, so if the airline keeps around its existing Dreamliners, it would eventually have 21 787s, which is quite the large fleet.

It’s also interesting how the airline only has plans to have 10 737s, so it’ll have more than twice as many wide bodies as narrow bodies. But I understand the logic. Biman Bangladesh often operates in high volume point-to-point markets, like between Bangladesh and destinations in the Middle East, so there’s need for the capacity.

While this is cool, if I were a betting man, I wouldn’t necessarily count on this all playing out as promised:

• Given that some deliveries are potentially more than a decade down the road, I imagine there’s some flexibility here
• This latest order was announced as part of a larger trade deal with the United States and Bangladesh, so sometimes those deals aren’t fully followed through on
• Biman Bangladesh doesn’t exactly have a great track record with following through on its aircraft orders; in June 2023, the airline revealed it intended to order 10 Airbus A350 aircraft for its long haul fleet renewal, though that was never finalized

Also, random side note. The airline talks about how it wants to expand to North America, though keep in mind that Bangladesh doesn’t have a Category 1 rating with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), so airlines from Bangladesh can’t currently launch flights to the United States. That could change over time, though, but it definitely limits North America growth!

Bottom line

Biman Bangladesh Airlines is continuing to grow its Boeing aircraft order book. Earlier this year the airline placed an order for 14 jets, and now the airline has placed an order for 11 more jets.

In total, the airline now has 13 Boeing 787-10s, two Boeing 787-9s, and 10 Boeing 737 MAX 8s, on order. That’s pretty remarkable, when you consider the carrier’s jet fleet otherwise consists of 14 aircraft. With deliveries only expected to start in late 2031, I’m curious to see how many planes actually end up being delivered, and exactly what growth the airline has planned. I’m also curious to see the onboard product.

What do you make of Biman Bangladesh’s Boeing order?