Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Muhammad Faruk Khan said whether Boeing or Airbus, the decision to purchase aircraft will be taken based on an evaluation report.
He made the remark while speaking to reporters following a courtesy meeting with US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas at the Secretariat on Sunday.
The minister said “We want to buy new aircraft, as we need to expand our fleet. Both Boeing and Airbus are competing in this field. They have already submitted their proposal to Biman Bangladesh Airlines.
“The proposal is currently being evaluated by a high-powered committee. The assessment is not over yet. We will purchase the aircraft from the company recommended by the evaluation committee, following a scrutiny.”
Faruk continued, “Both the companies have made good proposals. After scrutinising the proposals, a decision will be taken based on the one that will be good for us, so that the interests of Bangladesh can be protected.
Mentioning that there was a discussion with the US ambassador about upgrading the Civil Aviation Authority to Category-1 and starting the Dhaka-New York flight, the minister said, “We told them it is a political commitment of ours.
“So its importance to us is immense. We expect a decision in this regard soon.”
In response, the US ambassador said they will make a decision in this regard in accordance with international aviation laws and Federal Aviation Administration rules.
At that time, US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas told reporters, “We have discussed the friendship, partnership and cooperation between Bangladesh and the United States.
“We want to advance the friendship between the two countries. I want to work together in different fields in the future. Various US companies want to increase business cooperation here.”
US companies are particularly interested in partnering with Bangladesh's growing aviation industry, Haas added.
Later, in response to a question from journalists, Minister Faruk said, “We do not see any reason for the deterioration of the relationship between Bangladesh and the United States regarding trade and commerce.
“There is no reason from our side, and there is no reason from the US side either. US companies have participated in various purchases processes of Bangladesh before. Maybe they did not get the job then, maybe some other company did. It had no effect on our relationship.”
In purchasing goods, decisions are taken based on the quality of the product and the interests of the country are protected in accordance with the laws, he added.
