Gor shares news of Bangladesh purchasing more Boeing aircraft

While Bangladesh moves forward with purchasing fighter jets from China, the country also is in a process of procuring more transport aircraft from the United States. This news was shared by Sergio Gor, the U.S. Special Envoy for South and Central Asia and the country's Ambassador to India.

Gor revealed the news yesterday, Sunday, in a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account. Although he shared that Bangladesh is purchasing additional Boeing aircraft worth billions of dollars, he did not specify the exact number of planes to be acquired.

Earlier in April, Biman Bangladesh Airlines signed an agreement to purchase 14 new aircraft from the U.S. aviation manufacturer Boeing. Under that deal, eight 787-10 Dreamliners, two 787-9 Dreamliners, and four 737-8 Max jets are being acquired at an estimated cost of nearly Tk 45,000 crore.

Gor claimed that Bangladesh has committed to buying additional aircraft from Boeing beyond that contract, though no official statement has yet been issued by the Bangladesh government regarding this matter.

Praising the President of his country in his X post, Gor wrote: "President Trump and the Prime Minister of Bangladesh reached another extraordinary agreement this week. Bangladesh has committed billions of dollars to purchase additional Boeing aircraft. This is significantly higher than their previous order."

Gor recently completed a visit to Bangladesh. After arriving in Dhaka on July 30, he met with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. Before returning to Delhi at the end of his visit, he emphasized strengthening bilateral cooperation and expanding the partnership in a post on X.

Under the previous Awami League government, a decision had been made to acquire 10 aircraft for Biman from the European manufacturer Airbus.

However, following the fall of the Awami League government during the 2024 mass uprising, the interim government took office and adopted a strategy to narrow the trade deficit with the United States to navigate Donald Trump's tariff policy. As part of that strategy, the interim government decided to purchase Boeing aircraft.

When the BNP assumed office last February, that process was carried forward, culminating in the agreement to buy 14 aircraft from Boeing. According to the contract, Bangladesh is scheduled to receive its first Boeing aircraft in 2031, with the remainder joining Biman's fleet by 2035.

National carrier Biman currently operates international routes with a fleet of 19 aircraft. However, Biman officials estimate that at least 30 to 35 aircraft are needed to meet demand. Plans are underway to expand Biman's fleet to 47 aircraft by 2041.