Since 2016, every jet in Biman Bangladesh Airlines' fleet has been a Boeing. On 7 October 2026, that changed. Bangladesh's flag carrier signed a firm order with Airbus for ten aircraft: four A350-900 widebodies and six A321neo single-aisles.
The timing is what makes it interesting. Less than two weeks earlier, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Biman had ordered 11 more Boeing jets. Add the 14 Boeings it ordered earlier this year, and the airline has now committed to 35 new aircraft in 2026, split between the two big manufacturers.
Quick Facts
- Airline: Biman Bangladesh Airlines, hub Dhaka
- Order: 10 Airbus jets, firm: 4 A350-900 and 6 A321neo
- Announced: 7 October 2026
- Signed by: Biman chairman Rumee A. Hossain and Jürgen Westermeier, President of Airbus in South Asia
- Boeing orders in 2026: 14 jets earlier in the year, then 5 787-10s and 6 737-8s in September
- Current fleet: 19 aircraft, all Boeing jets plus Dash 8-400 turboprops
- Goal: new routes to North America, Europe and the Middle East
Two Manufacturers, One Fleet Plan
Biman flies 19 aircraft today: Boeing 777-300ERs, 787-8s and 787-9s and 737-800s on the jet side, plus Dash 8-400 turboprops for domestic and regional work. Its last Airbus, an A310-300, left the fleet in 2016.
The Boeing side of this year's shopping list is long. Biman ordered eight 787-10s, two 787-9s and four 737-8s earlier in 2026, then added five more 787-10s and six 737-8s in September. The Airbus deal, which had been discussed for years, sits on top of that. Bangladesh's civil aviation minister had said the agreement would be signed in October, and it was.
The split makes sense on paper. Biman has said it will use its 787-10s to expand Middle East services and to launch long-haul flights. The A350-900 adds a long-range widebody for the routes it wants to open to North America and Europe, and the A321neo covers regional and medium-haul routes.
A Growing Market
The airline's chairman made the case in the Airbus announcement. Bangladesh has about 200 million people and a large diaspora, mainly in the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Rumee A. Hossain called the fleet expansion "a measured and reasonable ambition".
Airbus, for its part, pitched the two types as a pair. Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, the manufacturer's head of commercial aircraft sales, said the A350 and A321neo form "the perfect fleet strategy for Biman as it spreads its wings to new international destinations."
The signing table carried the flags of Bangladesh, the EU and several European countries, a reminder that an Airbus is built across Europe. The UK government issued its own statement on the deal; Airbus wings are made in Britain.
What Happens Next
Neither side has published a delivery schedule or the value of the order. Ordering is the easy part: Biman's challenge now is to absorb 35 new aircraft from two manufacturers, with two sets of spares, training and maintenance, while launching new long-haul routes.
For passengers, the result should be newer, more efficient jets on more routes out of Dhaka. For Airbus, it is a foothold back in a fleet that had become all-Boeing. New Age's report on the signing is below.
Sources: Airbus, ch-aviation, Air Data News, Aviation A2Z, FlightGlobal
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