Biman signs purchase deal with Boeing

Biman Bangladesh Airlines signed a $1.26 billion deal Tuesday with Boeing on the purchase of eight aircraft. A memorandum of understanding has been signed with the company for a long-term lease of two Boeing 737s, as it will take time for the eight aircraft to join the Biman fleet, Mahbub Jamil, special assistant to the chief adviser in charge of civil aviation, told bdnews24.com. Corrected

Dhaka, April 22 (bdnews24.com)—Biman Bangladesh Airlines signed a $1.26 billion deal Tuesday with Boeing on the purchase of eight aircraft.

Corrected

A memorandum of understanding has been signed with the company for a long-term lease of two Boeing 737s, as it will take time for the eight aircraft to join the Biman fleet, Mahbub Jamil, special assistant to the chief adviser in charge of civil aviation, told bdnews24.com.

"This is an interim arrangement."

A MoU was signed between Biman and Boeing on March 15 for the purchase of eight aircraft.

Biman will finance 85 percent of the total costs of the aircraft with loans from the US-based EXIM Bank to be repaid over 12 years.

The rest 15 percent will be obtained from a consortium of local banks.

Four Boeing-777-300 ER airliners will be added to the Biman Bangladesh fleet in July, August, October and December of 2013.

The remaining four planes will be added in July, August, October and November of 2019-20.

The present Biman fleet has four DC-10s, three Airbus aircraft, a Boeing-747 and three F-28s for operating its domestic and international flights.

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