Biman decides to purchase 2 cargo planes from Airbus

[ThunderCat]

The Airbus 350-900F isn't even being manufactured at the moment, if I recall correctly. The only other Airbus that is in use as cargo aircraft is the A330F.

It was proposed to be built and ordered by a number of airlines. Airbus 330-200F is in production.

 

[bluesky]

Bangladesh signs deal with UK for aviation partnership, ‘credit to buy aircraft from Airbus’

BIMAN will remain a losing concern, the same as it has been since 1972. So, when it buys planes on creditors' loans, the next generations will be repaying the loan.

BIMAN will remain a disorganized and unprofitable white elephant.

 

[Bilal9]

BIMAN will remain a losing concern, the same as it has been since 1972. So, when it buys planes on creditors' loans, the next generations will be repaying the loan.

BIMAN will remain a disorganized and unprofitable white elephant.

I saw a video discussion with actual figures by one journalist named Murtaza. He mentioned that after buying all the new aircraft, Biman hardly used maybe 6% of the cargo capacity in all the new Boeing aircraft they bought in the last ten years, 94% of cargo capacity went under-utilized.

94% !!

So - the question naturally comes up, if BIMAN can't utilize 94% of existing cargo capacity, why is the Civil Aviation Bureau and the minister in charge of aviation looking for new dedicated Cargo aircraft ??

The ineptitude and corruption of these people has exceeded all limits.

 

[bluesky]

I saw a video discussion with actual figures by one journalist named Murtaza. He mentioned that after buying all the new aircraft, Biman hardly used maybe 6% of the cargo capacity in all the new Boeing aircraft they bought in the last ten years, 94% of cargo capacity went under-utilized.

94% !!

So - the question naturally comes up, if BIMAN can't utilize 94% of existing cargo capacity, why is the Civil Aviation Bureau and the minister in charge of aviation looking for new dedicated Cargo aircraft ??

The ineptitude and corruption of these people has exceeded all limits.

Perhaps, Hasina, Joy Kumar, Rehana, and Putul Kumari all need big money in America and England. Rehana's daughter may want to follow in the footsteps of Rishi Sunak and be a PM someday.

BD people think money is the only asset that can propel a person forward. But, Joy Kumar will be wasting this Airbus commission money in drinking parlors. and so on.

Hasina is greedier than Ershad and Khaleda. She is no match for Ziaur Rahman. But, she was telling the other day that Zia was just simply a matriculate.

I wonder, what happens to her money when she has to step down. But, she is more worried that she would be hanged for killing 57 BA officers.

 

[fallstuff]

Here is an image showing build quality of Boeing Aircraft. I doubt flimsy airbus aircraft would even survive in this situation.

The whole top of the fuselage was torn away in flight cruise mode and one flight attendant lost her life. However the rest of the plane was made to land safely with no further loss of life. All survived to tell the tale. Aloha airlines flight 243, Hawaii - April 28,1988.

This is why the majority of Cargo Aircraft today are converted 767's and 777's. Boeings are just built tougher.

That is the only convertible airliner in the known history ! Feel the wind blowing at 200 mph or more !

 

[fallstuff]

I saw a video discussion with actual figures by one journalist named Murtaza. He mentioned that after buying all the new aircraft, Biman hardly used maybe 6% of the cargo capacity in all the new Boeing aircraft they bought in the last ten years, 94% of cargo capacity went under-utilized.

94% !!

So - the question naturally comes up, if BIMAN can't utilize 94% of existing cargo capacity, why is the Civil Aviation Bureau and the minister in charge of aviation looking for new dedicated Cargo aircraft ??

The ineptitude and corruption of these people has exceeded all limits.

Well if you think that days of being in power is coming to an end then you would make all the deals to get the money in the front end. All the private power stations were given guaranteed rates even if the plant remains idle.

The deals are binding as they are sovereign debts ! So folks in power and their cohorts will just walk away with tons of money after singing these deals, the people will be on the short end of the deal have to pay for it.

There was an article on Daily Star about Biman cargo utilisation couple of weeks ago.

 

[Bilal9]

Here is another piece about this topic from an aviation related fansite. They did not go into Hasina's vendetta against the US which caused the rejection of Boeing for fleet expansion.

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Biman Bangladesh Ready To Drop Boeing and Order Airbus A350s​

BYMICHAEL DORAN
PUBLISHED MAY 9, 2023

Access to funds and aggressive marketing appears to be behind Biman Bangladesh's switch to Airbus A350 widebodies.


A high-level agreement signed between Bangladesh and the United Kingdom on Friday has paved the way for expansion in the Bangladeshi aviation sector. The two nations have formed an Aviation partnership to develop the industry, which includes provision for purchasing Airbus passenger and cargo jets.

The UK's Investment Minister, Lord Dominic Johnson and Salman F Rahman, the private investment and industry adviser to Bangladesh's Prime Minister, signed the agreement in London. The aim is to strengthen Bangladesh's trade and investment relations with the UK and the other European partners of Airbus to develop aviation.

What does the deal deliver?​

In a practical sense, it will give Bangladesh access to long-term credit facilities from the UK Export Finance Scheme on favorable terms for purchasing Airbus aircraft. This brings to life the purchase of Airbus A350s by Biman Bangladesh Airlines (Biman), which announced a decision to order two A350F freighters earlier in the week.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1655190460921683970

While firm details on the number of aircraft that will be ordered were not released, reports in Bangladesh's Business Standard said Biman is ready to purchase up to ten Airbus A350s, including the two A350F freighters. These will be the first dedicated freighters in the Biman fleet and are expected to arrive in 2026.

According to Flightradra24.com, Biman has an all-Boeing jet fleet of 16 aircraft, including four 777-300ERs, four 787-8 and two 787-9 Dreamliners and six 737-800s. The carrier also uses five De Havilland DHC-8-Q400 turboprops for its regional operations. The 777-300ERs have an average age of around ten years, and with delivery dates for A350s stretching out to the second half of the decade, the Boeing widebodies are obvious candidates for replacement.

Why switch from Boeing to Airbus?​

Apart from wet leasing aircraft, the only Airbus planes operated by Biman were the six A310-300s in its fleet between 1996 and 2016. This decision to switch from Boeing to Airbus marks a change of direction and is part of the broader national goal to develop the nation's aviation industry.

Photo: Airbus

The state minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism, Mahbub Ali, said last week:

"The government plans to revive and regain the international aviation market following the Prime Minister's directives on turning the country into an aviation hub in the subcontinent. We have taken a policy decision to purchase 10 new state-of-the-art aircraft for Biman."

Biman's Managing Director and CEO, Shafiul Azim, explained that the airline plans to launch several new routes, with a decision made on services to the United States and Japan. He added that "the procurement of the Airbus fleet is part of our plans for the region."

Photo: Airbus

The shift into running a dedicated cargo operation is uncharted waters for Biman, which the Business Standard is because the airline wants to capture a slice of the garment and textile exports currently moved by overseas cargo carriers. In March, Airbus produced its first parts for the A350F, which was initially due to enter service in late 2025, but that has now been shunted back to early 2026.