In a move to expand and modernise its fleet, Biman Bangladesh Airlines has invited international proposals to dry lease three Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft for six years, aiming to induct the wide-body jets by January 1, 2027. 

A dry lease in aviation is an arrangement where an aircraft owner provides only the bare aircraft without crew, maintenance, or insurance.

The leasing party (lessee) takes full operational control, assuming responsibility for supplying their own pilots, handling maintenance, arranging insurance, and operating the aircraft under their own Air Operator Certificate (AOC).

According to a Request for Proposal (RFP) issued on July 15, the national flag carrier is seeking offers from airlines, aircraft operators, owners, manufacturers and leasing companies for the dry lease of three Boeing 787-9 aircraft for a period of 72 months.

The deadline for submitting proposals is 10:00am Bangladesh Standard Time (BST) on August 9.

The RFP states that the aircraft should preferably be delivered by January 1, 2027, although bids offering later delivery schedules until February 28, 2027 will also be considered during technical evaluation.

Biman has specified that the aircraft must be no more than 15 years old as of June 30, 2027, and should be powered by GEnx-1B74/75 engines with a maximum take-off weight of 254 tonnes. Preference will be given to sister-ship aircraft from the same lessor.

Under the proposed, each aircraft must feature a two-class cabin configuration with more than 300 passenger seats.

All seats must be new, while the aircraft must be delivered in full operating condition with valid Certificates of Airworthiness and Registration.

The airline has also stipulated that major scheduled maintenance, including heavy maintenance checks and landing gear overhauls, should not become due within the first 24 months of the lease period. Each aircraft must be delivered immediately after undergoing a fresh C-check, it said.

The RFP outlines extensive technical requirements, including advanced avionics, Engine Health Monitoring systems, Aircraft Health Monitoring capability, Flight Data Monitoring, upgraded flight recorders, TCAS Version 7.1, ACARS, Terrain Awareness and Warning Systems, satellite communications, GPS/GNSS navigation and compliance with all applicable FAA, EASA and Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh regulations. 

Biman has also required the aircraft to be painted in its own livery at the lessor’s expense before delivery and equipped with Atlas-standard galley facilities capable of serving two major and two minor meals for passengers and crew.

Financial proposals must separately quote monthly lease rentals for each aircraft, maintenance reserves for major components and security deposits.

Biman said it expects each aircraft to operate about 4,000 flight hours annually.

The evaluation process will consist of technical and financial assessments.

Technical proposals meeting all mandatory requirements will qualify for financial evaluation. Overall scores will be calculated by assigning a 25 percent weight to technical evaluation and 75 percent to financial evaluation, with the highest-scoring proposal selected as the lowest evaluated bid.

Biman said negotiations would be held in Dhaka with qualified bidders before signing the lease agreement. The airline also reserved the right to accept or reject any or all proposals without assigning any reason.

At present, the total number of aircraft in the fleet is 19. Of these, four are Boeing 777-300 ER, four are Boeing 787-8, two are Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, four are Boeing 737 and five are Dash 8-400 aircraft.