Biman Bangladesh Airlines Limited
Profile
- Head
- Rumee A Hossain
- Role
- Chairman
- Annual budget
- —
- Staff
- —
- Established
- 1972
- Legal basis
- Bangladesh Biman Ordinance 1972 (Presidential Order No. 126), enacted 4 January 1972; converted to a public limited company under a presidential ordinance on 23 July 2007, becoming Biman Bangladesh Airlines Limited; government holds 100% of 1.5 billion shares
Biman is in a simultaneous triple surge: governance overhaul (new chairman and MD, both April 2026), the largest procurement in its 54-year history ($3.7B Boeing order for 14 jets, April 30, 2026), and the heaviest operational load of the year (Hajj 2026 airlift, April-May 2026, carrying approximately half of Bangladesh's ~78,500 pilgrims). Manchester route resumes July 4, 2026. Long-term plan targets a 47-aircraft fleet by FY 2034-35. Current fleet is 19 aircraft (4 x 737-800, 4 x 777-300ER, 6 x 787, 5 x Dash 8).
Recent activity
- 2026-04-30 procurement Biman signed its largest-ever aircraft order: 14 Boeing jets (eight 787-10, two 787-9, four 737 MAX 8) valued at approximately $3.7 billion at list prices; deliveries scheduled October 2031 to November 2035. ↗↗
- 2026-04-25 appointment Government reconstituted Biman's board of directors and appointed Rumee A Hossain (sponsor director and chairman of Bank Asia PLC) as Chairman via Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism gazette notification. ↗↗
- 2026-04-18 other Biman commenced Hajj 2026 pre-flight operations from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka; as the flag carrier Biman is the largest operator carrying approximately half of Bangladesh's ~78,500 pilgrims across 207 total pre-Hajj departures shared with Saudia and Flynas. ↗↗
- 2026-04-07 appointment Kaizer Sohail Ahmed (Air Vice Marshal, retd.) appointed Managing Director and CEO of Biman on a one-year contractual basis via Ministry of Public Administration notification; Syed Moin appointed Deputy Managing Director concurrently. ↗↗
- 2026-02-03 international Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority approved a third weekly Biman flight on the Dhaka-Karachi route, which had been resumed on 29 January 2026 after a 14-year suspension, initially as two weekly round trips. ↗↗
- 2026-01-29 international Biman resumed direct Dhaka-Karachi service for the first time in 14 years, operating twice-weekly (Thursdays and Saturdays) as part of improved Bangladesh-Pakistan bilateral aviation ties. ↗↗
Provenance & notes
Biman was founded 4 January 1972 under Presidential Order No. 126 (Bangladesh Biman Ordinance) and converted to a 100%-state-owned public limited company on 23 July 2007 by presidential ordinance under the caretaker government; the Companies Act 1994 governs its corporate form. Current fleet (19 aircraft): 4x Boeing 737-800, 4x Boeing 777-300ER, 4x Boeing 787-8, 2x Boeing 787-9, 5x De Havilland Dash 8. The April 30 Boeing order adds 8x 787-10 (first time Biman orders the largest 787 variant) and 4x 737 MAX 8 (Biman's first MAX order), effectively doubling the Boeing fleet on delivery. Delivery window Oct 2031-Nov 2035 means the airline plans to lease interim aircraft. The Hajj 2026 operation (Apr 18-May 21, 2026) involves Biman plus Saudia and Flynas across 207 combined pre-Hajj departures; Biman carries approximately half the ~78,500 Bangladesh quota pilgrims. Specific '102 Biman Hajj flights' figure cited in the task brief could not be verified against published primary sources as of 2026-05-17; confirmed Biman flight count as of mid-operation was 63 flights (25,046 pilgrims) per Bangladesh Monitor/BSS; the task figure may refer to total planned Biman departures including return legs. staff_count and annual_budget_bdt set to null: no publicly disaggregated figure found in Biman annual reports or government budget documents accessible at this date. MD Kaizer Sohail Ahmed previously served as Air Vice Marshal, Bangladesh Air Force; confirmed by multiple BD outlets citing Ministry of Public Administration notification. head_since reflects Chairman Rumee A Hossain's gazette appointment date of 25 April 2026 per The Daily Star, TBS News, and New Age.
Sources
- https://boeing.mediaroom.com/2026-04-30-Biman-Bangladesh-Airlines-Orders-14-Boeing-787-Dreamliner-and-737-MAX-Jets
- https://investors.boeing.com/investors/news/press-release-details/2026/Biman-Bangladesh-Airlines-Orders-14-Boeing-787-Dreamliner-and-737-MAX-Jets/default.aspx
- https://www.thedailystar.net/business/economy/aviation/news/rumee-hossain-appointed-biman-chairman-4160521
- https://www.tbsnews.net/economy/aviation/govt-reconstitutes-biman-board-rumee-hossain-named-chairman-1421001
- https://www.thedailystar.net/business/economy/aviation/news/biman-gets-new-leadership-kaizer-sohail-named-md-ceo-4146666
- https://www.tbsnews.net/economy/aviation/kaizer-sohail-ahmed-appointed-md-biman-bangladesh-airlines-1405426
- https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/bangladeshs-first-hajj-flight-reaches-saudi-arabia-4154326
- https://www.bangladeshmonitor.com.bd/aviation-details/38578-pilgrims-in-ksa-as-biman-saudia-flynas-manage-massive-operation
- https://aerospaceglobalnews.com/news/biman-bangladesh-pakistan-route-resumes/
- https://www.nation.com.pk/02-Feb-2026/biman-bangladesh-airlines-cleared-add-third-weekly-dhaka-karachi-flight
- https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/transport/news/biman-eyes-big-fleet-expansion-targets-47-aircraft-fy-2034-35-4158036
- https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/260507-bgjul26man
- https://bdnews24.com/aviation/b4f477ebef60
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biman_Bangladesh_Airlines
- https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/Biman_Bangladesh_Airlines_Limited
- https://bdnews24.com/business/2007/07/12/biman-turns-into-public-limited-company
- https://www.tbsnews.net/economy/corporates/biman-bangladesh-airlines-earns-record-revenue-fy-2023-2024-1026196