Biman-Airbus Deal Ushers in New Era of Long-Term, Broader Partnership: French Ambassador

French Ambassador to Bangladesh Mr. Jean Marc Serre Charlet has said the Biman deal with Airbus is not only about buying aircraft. He called it the start of a bigger, long term partnership in the aviation sector. He spoke about the agreement that Biman Bangladesh Airlines and Airbus signed yesterday. The ambassador said, “This agreement is much more than just buying aircraft.”

The ambassador said Airbus will give Biman a full support package so the new aircraft join the fleet on time and fly commercially without trouble. The package includes training, spare parts and engineering help. Under the deal, Biman will get four Airbus A350 wide body aircraft and six A321 narrow body jets. Mr. Serre Charlet congratulated Biman and Airbus on the deal and called it the start of a long term partnership.

He said Airbus will not stop at supplying aircraft. The company wants to work with Biman and the Bangladesh government to strengthen the wider aviation system of the country. The ambassador listed possible areas of work, such as skills development, maintenance, branding and fleet planning. He said the mix of narrow body and wide body aircraft will give Biman more freedom to fly regional and long distance routes.

He also said such a fleet should save fuel, cut the cost per seat mile and make the Airbus family of aircraft work better together. He said France and Bangladesh have shared a long partnership for decades, built on mutual respect and common goals. He welcomed the effort to build a competitive national airline that connects the country better with the world. In his words, “This goal goes far beyond getting new and competitive aircraft.”

The ambassador said France is ready to support Bangladesh in its modernisation and growth, especially in the wider civil aviation sector. Biman signed the deal with Airbus yesterday evening to buy 10 aircraft as part of its long term fleet expansion plan. The deal covers four A350 900 wide body aircraft and six A321neo narrow body jets. Airbus India and South Asia President and Managing Director Mr. Jürgen Westermeier and Biman Board of Directors Chairman Mr. Rumee A Hossain signed for their organisations.

The signing ceremony took place at Radisson Blu Dhaka Water Garden. Minister of Civil Aviation and Tourism Mr. M Rashiduzzaman Millat and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr. Humayun Kabir attended. Biman has also signed a separate deal to buy 25 Boeing aircraft. With the Airbus deal, Biman’s planned purchase pipeline now holds 35 jets in total.