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Biman Bangladesh Airlines Limited

autonomous · verified (verified 2026-05-17)

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

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