Bangladesh to buy 14 Boeing aircraft: Civil Aviation Minister

Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat on Monday said Bangladesh is buying 14 Boeing aircraft from the United States and plans to lease additional aircraft as part of efforts to modernise the country’s aviation sector.

“The US requested that Bangladesh use Boeing aircraft, and the government is acting accordingly,” he told reporters in response to a question about the government’s reported plan to purchase Boeing aircraft from the US.

Millat made the remarks after attending a law-and-order and development coordination meeting as the chief guest at the conference room of the Mymensingh deputy commissioner in the afternoon.

He said Bangladesh would also procure new aircraft from Airbus, jointly manufactured by France, Britain and Germany, to strengthen the aviation sector.

In April, Bangladesh signed a deal with US aircraft manufacturer Boeing to purchase 14 planes for national flag carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines. Valued at $3.7 billion, the deal is the airline’s largest-ever aircraft order.

US Special Envoy for South and Central Asia and Ambassador to India Sergio Gor has also said Bangladesh has committed billions of dollars to purchase additional Boeing aircraft from the US under a new deal between Dhaka and Washington.

Power, gas crisis

The minister also said the government is working round the clock to address the country’s power and energy crisis, describing the current situation as a “mess” inherited from the previous government.

“Gas and electricity during Sheikh Hasina’s time have left us in trouble. But we are carrying this trouble; we did not create it,” he said.

Millat said a sustainable solution would take time, rejecting criticism that the government could immediately resolve shortages of electricity and gas.

Some opposition lawmakers and representatives of Jamaat-e-Islami, he said, frequently stage movements demanding the government’s resignation over the shortages.

“But if you ask us to step down, can you provide electricity tomorrow? Can you provide electricity or gas within six months? You cannot,” he said.

He said resolving the crisis and developing the necessary infrastructure would require considerable time.

“Even after laying the foundation stone of a building, it takes at least two years to complete it. Even if we work rapidly using new technologies, it will still take one-and-a-half to two years,” he said.

“We are working day and night toward that goal,” he added.

Call for firm action

Millat also instructed law-enforcement agencies and administration officials to take firm action against those attempting to create social or administrative instability.

“We must not create disorder at every turn. Those who want to create social and administrative instability must be dealt with firmly,” he said, urging officials to properly enforce existing laws.

“Our only goal is to ensure that people live in peace and get a better Bangladesh,” he said.

Senior local administration officials, lawmakers, representatives of law-enforcement agencies and officials from various government departments attended the meeting.