Not to please anyone, Boeing being bought for our own needs

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir defies a proposal that Bangladesh is procuring Boeing aircraft to please someone.

He said the aircraft are not being bought to satisfy anyone but rather they are procured to fulfill the country's own needs.

The junior minister said this in response to journalists' questions about the purchase of Boeing aircraft from the United States at a briefing held at the Secretariat today, Monday (September 28). The press conference was meant for letting the journalists know about the outcomes of the Prime Minister's visit to the United Nations.
Bangladesh is buying 25 aircraft from the US aircraft manufacturer Boeing. A deal for eight was signed in April. The agreement for purchasing the remaining 11 was signed during the Prime Minister's UN visit.

There has been discussion that Boeing aircraft are being bought under US pressure to mitigate the trade deficit, which is currently in favour of Bangladesh.

Regarding the matter, Humayun Kabir said, "We are purchasing Boeing according to our needs. However, to become an aviation hub, we need a mixed aircraft fleet. We will buy aircraft according to our needs, not to please anyone."

During the Awami League era, discussions were underway to buy aircraft from the European company Airbus. Now, after the purchase from Boeing, Airbus has also come forward with a new proposal. The government has said that this too is under consideration.

The Dhaka-New York flight issue also came up at the briefing. The Kabir said that the flight was suspended mainly due to technical and safety assessment reasons. Previous governments lacked interest in this matter. The current government has started the technical and safety reassessment process. Once this is completed, it will be possible to resume the flight again.