DHAKA, May 1 — Bangladesh yesterday signed a deal with US aircraft manufacturer Boeing to buy 14 planes for its national carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines, the two sides announced—the airline’s biggest-ever order, in a deal valued at $3.7 billion.
Dhaka’s state-run BSS news agency called it the “biggest modern fleet expansion” for the national airline, under an agreement hammered out last year as part of a tariff deal with the United States.
The deal calls for the delivery over the next decade of eight 787-10 Dreamliners, two 787-9 Dreamliners and four single-aisle 737-8 MAX jets, the company’s “largest-ever order”, the two sides said in a joint statement.
The 787-10s will be used to serve destinations in the Middle East, while the 787-9s will be used for long-haul flights to Europe and North America.
“The new fuel-efficient, technologically advanced aircraft will modernise Biman’s fleet, sharpen operational performance, and extend its international route network,” Biman CEO Kaizer Sohel Ahmed was quoted as saying.
The contract was signed at a formal ceremony in Dhaka.
Bangladesh has a reported 19 aircraft in its current fleet, an estimated 14 of them from Boeing.
Biman currently serves 22 international destinations from Dhaka, with its longest flight linking the Bangladeshi capital to Toronto via Istanbul.
The purchase was agreed in August 2025 by the caretaker government which ran the South Asian nation of 170 million people after a 2024 revolution, until a new government was elected in February.
Bangladesh, the world’s second-biggest garment manufacturer, struck a trade deal with the United States to scale back President Donald Trump’s punishing tariffs.
The United States represents 20 percent of Bangladesh’s ready-made garments exports.
Dhaka proposed buying Boeing planes and boosting imports of US wheat, cotton and oil to help narrow its trade deficit, which Trump used as justification for imposing painful levies.
But an initial proposed 25 aircraft was slashed to 14.
The deal sparked frustration in Europe, which had been in discussion to sell Airbus planes to Bangladesh.
Trump threatened Bangladesh with 37 percent tariffs, more than double the then 16 percent on cotton products. That was scaled back to 20 percent after the deal.
Textile and garment production accounts for about 80 percent of exports in Bangladesh and the industry has been rebuilding after the deadly 2024 unrest that toppled the government. — AFP
KUALA LUMPUR, April 30 — Malaysia Airlines will resume limited services to Doha (DOH) from July 2, 2026, following Qatar’s reopening of its airspace to international carriers and the gradual reinstatement of operations at Hamad International Airport (HIA), according to Malaysia Aviation Group Bhd (MAG).
The group said in a statement today that the resumption of operations follows the issuance of a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) by the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA) confirming operational readiness, with international airline services now gradually resuming through a designated flight corridor coordinated by the authority.
“Malaysia Airlines operations will initially be limited to one daily service (MH160/161). The remaining frequencies (MH164/165 and MH168/169) will continue to be suspended until Oct 24, 2026, subject to ongoing review,” said MAG.
The Doha service was initially suspended from Feb 28, 2026 due to airspace closures affecting the region.
MAG said the airline continues to closely monitor the situation through ongoing risk assessments and relevant NOTAMs before fully resuming operations.
MAG’s hajj and umrah pilgrimage arm, Amal by Malaysia Airlines, is operating flights to Jeddah (JED) and Madinah (MED) as scheduled to accommodate the 2026 hajj season with a total of 110 flights across two phases, transporting a combined total of 15,620 pilgrims. — Bernama
LOS ANGELES, April 30 — The pilot of a commercial flight said Wednesday his plane may have been hit by a drone thousands of feet (hundreds of meters) in the air as he came in to land at a US airport.
Recordings of the conversation between air traffic control in San Diego and a United Airlines flight reveal the pilot believed his Boeing 737 could have made contact with a small airborne device.
The incident happened around 8:30 am (1630 GMT), 90 minutes after the plane took off from San Francisco, flying at an altitude of around 3,000 feet (900 meters).
“It was so small I couldn’t tell,” the pilot told controllers who had asked for more details about the possible drone strike.
“It was red...it was shiny.”
A few minutes earlier, the pilot had radioed the control tower to ask if other aviators had reported anything unusual in the skies.
“I believe I just saw like a red small object...about 1,000 feet below us to our right,” the pilot said.
A spokesman for United Airlines confirmed the potential drone sighting, but said it had caused no damage and there were no injuries among the 48 passengers and six crew on board.
“United flight 1980 reported a potential drone prior to arriving in San Diego,” a statement from the airlines said.
“The flight landed safely, and customers de-planed normally at the gate. Our maintenance team found no damage after thoroughly inspecting the aircraft.”
Federal Aviation Authority rules ban the use of drones above 400 feet unless specifically authorised, and operators must avoid restricted airspace, including that around airports. — AFP
SINGAPORE/INDIA: Singapore Airlines (SIA) has stepped in more directly at Air India, placing its staff in key operational roles as the Indian carrier struggles with losses and safety concerns. The move shifts Singapore Airlines from a strategic partner to a more hands-on operator at a time when Air India’s recovery is proving harder than expected.
Executives from Singapore Airlines have taken up roles across flight operations, engineering, and maintenance in recent months. The airline is known for strict standards in these areas, and the change suggests a push to stabilise Air India’s core operations, Business Today cites a Bloomberg report (April 23, 2026).
Ownership dynamics appear to be shaping this arrangement. Tata Group, which holds a 74.9% stake in Air India, is focusing on commercial strategy, human resources, finance, and IT. Operational matters are now leaning more on Singapore Airlines, its minority partner.
This division of labour reflects where the problems lie. Air India has faced mounting operational issues, including reports of aircraft flying without proper certification and compliance lapses flagged by European regulators. A recent crash has also triggered tighter scrutiny and service cutbacks.
Singapore Airlines said it has been working closely with Tata Sons on Air India’s transformation since becoming a key shareholder. The latest shift signals that advisory support alone is no longer enough.
The deeper involvement follows a series of setbacks that have complicated Air India’s revival. What began as an ambitious turnaround after Tata reacquired the airline in 2021 is now proving more expensive and complex than expected.
The situation appears serious enough to prompt top-level discussions. SIA Chief Executive Officer Goh Choon Phong and Tata Group Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran met in Mumbai to review funding plans and begin the search for a new chief executive, after Campbell Wilson’s resignation.
For Singapore-based observers, this is more than a corporate reshuffle. It shows how deeply Singapore Airlines is willing to commit to a partner when performance slips. The airline has built its reputation on operational discipline, and its direct involvement signals both risk and opportunity.
If the turnaround works, it strengthens SIA’s influence in one of the fastest-growing aviation markets. If it falters, the reputational stakes rise.
The bigger picture is that fixing an airline goes beyond branding or routes, as it comes down to daily execution, such as maintenance checks, crew readiness, and safety discipline. That is where Singapore Airlines now finds itself, on the ground, doing the work.
Air India’s recovery will depend on steady operational fixes rather than quick wins. The current approach of splitting strategic and operational roles can work if both sides stay aligned and consistent.
From a distance, the lesson is that when problems run deep, oversight isn’t enough. Someone has to step in and take control of the basics. That is what Singapore Airlines is now doing on the ground at Air India.
This article (Singapore Airlines deploys employees to Air India amid operational challenges) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.
SINGAPORE: While the surge in the price of jet fuel has caused air ticket prices to soar, Asian airlines are reporting an increased demand as flyers are now choosing to transit through Asia rather than countries in the Middle East.
The increase in jet fuel prices has resulted from the war in the Middle East, which began on Feb 28 when the United States and Israel started to bomb Iran. Iran has all but closed the Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint through which around 20% of the world’s energy supply passes, leaving many countries scrambling for fuel.
Wary of getting close to conflict areas, of cancelled or affected flights, many travellers are looking to routes considered to be safer. Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Korean Air, and even Qantas Airways have reported strong ticket sales in March.
Reuters quoted Cathay Chief Customer and Commercial Officer Lavinia Lau as saying on April 17, “We have … mounted additional flights and capacity to Europe in March and April to cater for an upsurge in market demand as passengers prioritised alternative routings.”
Singapore Airlines saw the sharpest gain among all regions last month in terms of the percentage of seats filled. For its flights to Europe, SIA had 93.5% seats filled, an increase from 79.7% at the same time last year, saying in a statement that “capacity through Middle East air hubs was affected by the ongoing Middle East conflict.”
Both Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines have announced that it added flights to Europe amid the uptick in demand.
Korean Air, meanwhile, saw its operating income increase by 47.3% to 517 billion won (approximately S$446.6 million), due to “increased demand between Europe and Asia due to the Middle East war.” The airlines’ European passenger revenue is now up by nearly one-fifth from March 2025.
Whether travel demand across Asia will be strong will be tested in May and July, during the summer school holidays for India and China, respectively, reported the South China Morning Post. It quoted an industry expert as saying, “Both will be watched closely as barometers of the strength, or otherwise, of regional travel.”
Transit hubs in the Gulf
Transit hubs in the Gulf, such as Dubai International Airport, Hamad International Airport in Doha, and Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi, have all been affected by the conflict, which quickly spread to various countries in the region.
However, Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Etihad Airways have been restoring capacity in the past weeks, and are now at 60% of pre-February 28 flights. /TISG
Read also: SIA, Scoot yet to impose fuel surcharges even as global airlines move to raise fares
This article (Airlines in Asia see higher demand as travellers reroute from Gulf hubs) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.
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