Bangladesh airline inks order for 8 new Boeing jets

WASHINGTON: Biman Bangladesh Airlines said on Tuesday it had ordered a total of eight new Boeing jets, including four of the US aviation giant's new fuel efficient 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft.

The Bangladesh carrier said the order "represent a major step forward in the airline's reorganization and growth plans."

The order for the eight new passenger jets was inked at a signing ceremony in the Bangladesh capital, Dhaka.

"Clearly, Biman needs modern, fuel-efficient and reliable airplanes to move forward with our expansion and better serve our country's growing travel needs," M A Momen, Biman's managing director, said in a statement.

The airline presently links Bangladesh with 18 countries around the world, but executives hope to offer flights to up to 42 countries as they roll out an aggressive growth plan.

Boeing claims its new 787 Dreamliner jet will use 20 percent less fuel than rival aircraft of a similar size being used today.

Biman Bangladesh Airlines is Bangladesh's biggest public company. Its planes first took to the skies as a government-owned carrier in 1972.