DHAKA, Feb 6, 2024 (BSS) - Civil aviation and tourism minister Muhammad Faruk Khan today said that Biman Bangladesh Airlines would choose either US based aircraft manufacturer Boeing or European aerospace giant Airbus to purchase plane considering its maximum commercial profitability.

“We will procure aircraft in reflection of Bangladesh’s profit and the manufacturer could be Airbus or Boeing” he told reporters after emerging from a meeting with US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas at the secretariat here.    

In reply to a quarry the minister said, it is obvious that the US wants to sell more Boeing aircraft to Biman, but Bangladesh government will consider the entire issue including technical and economic aspects in this matter. 

Currently, Boeing’s archrival Airbus has been engaged with flag carrier Biman in a negotiation to sell 10 wide-body aircraft including two freighters.     
  
During the meeting, Khan said, they discussed to advance the existing Dhaka-Washington partnership in development of Bangladesh’s aviation and tourism industry in future,” he said.  

The minister said that he also discussed regarding upgradation of Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) to category -1, prescribed by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), to resume Dhaka-New York flight.      

Currently, he said, an audit team of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is working with the CAAB while a FAA team is schedule to arrive here for conducting co-audit later this year to uplift Bangladesh to FAA’s category-1.    
  
Earlier, after the meeting the US ambassador said that his country would assist CAAB and Biman to complete due process to get nod to operate flight to the USA. 

The US envoy said that Boeing submitted their proposal to Biman to sell new aircraft as per the national flag carrier’s aspiration to expand its fleet.      
 
He said Washington wants Boeing to be included in the Biman’s procurement process under a transparent competition with Airbus.