Bangladesh could sign a deal to buy 10 aircraft from Airbus as early as October, the civil aviation and tourism minister said on Tuesday as the state carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines moves to expand an ageing fleet.

“We are buying Airbus, 10 of them. Insh’Allah, the deal will be signed in October,” M Rashiduzzaman Millat told a press conference at the secretariat in Dhaka.

Talks over the purchase are underway, Millat said, though he acknowledged “uncertainty over receiving the aircraft on schedule”, which has led the government to consider different ways of acquiring aircraft.

Biman’s fleet stands at 19 aircraft, two of which are close to being grounded, leaving about 17 effectively available for flight operations. Several will become old over the coming years, and the government has moved to buy new aircraft as part of a long-term plan to expand the fleet, according to the minister.

Bangladesh recently signed a deal for 11 Boeing aircraft, following an earlier contract for 14, taking its total commitments with the US manufacturer to 25. The first aircraft will arrive in 2031, although Dhaka has asked for at least one by 2027–28, with the remaining purchases expected to continue until 2035–36.

No payment has to me made right now, Millat said, and the aircraft will be financed from Biman’s own revenue.

“Many ask why we are buying so many Boeings, whether we can afford them. Signing a contract doesn’t mean taking delivery now,” he said.

Adding 10 aircraft to the 17 effectively available for operations would allow Biman to use many slots, Millat said, and greater capacity would let Bangladeshi carriers operate more flights to the Middle East and other destinations where foreign airlines currently operate more flights.

Biman is seeking to resume flights to New York and plans a Sydney route, and is working to add a second service to Japan, where it already operates one, he said.

Asked whether the Airbus purchase involved pressure or conditions, Millat said: “We are not doing anything under pressure. We are doing it out of our own needs.” How many aircraft Bangladesh buys, and from which country, is its own decision, taken with the country’s needs and the interests of its aviation sector in mind, he said.