Bangladesh

Asia

3Airlines
0Profiled Airports
3With ICAO
3With Callsign

Aviation History

Bangladesh's civil aviation began almost immediately after independence, with Biman Bangladesh Airlines established in January 1972 as the new nation's flag carrier. State-owned for decades and long troubled by overstaffing and financial losses, Biman was converted into a public limited company in 2007 and has since modernized its fleet with Boeing 777s and 787s. Private carriers such as US-Bangla Airlines (2014) and Novoair have since expanded domestic and regional competition.

Biman's very first aircraft, a Douglas DC-3, crashed during a test flight just days after the airline's founding.
After decades of losses tied to overstaffing, Biman returned to sustained profitability in the 2020s.
1972
Biman Bangladesh Airlines founded

Established on January 4, 1972, days after Bangladesh's independence, as the country's flag carrier, initially named Air Bangladesh.

1972
First international service

Weekly flights to London begin in March 1972, just weeks after Biman's first domestic flight.

1977
First profitable year

Biman breaks even for the first time since its founding.

1984
Worst accident in Biman's history

A Biman Fokker F27 crashes near Dhaka, killing 49 people.

2007
Conversion to public limited company

Biman is restructured into a public limited company, beginning reforms including significant workforce reductions.

2011
First Boeing 777

Biman takes delivery of its first Boeing 777-300ER, marking a major widebody fleet upgrade.

2014
US-Bangla Airlines launches

A major private domestic carrier begins operations, later expanding to regional international routes.

2018
First Boeing 787 Dreamliner

Biman receives its first Boeing 787-8, continuing a broader fleet modernization program.

Notable Carriers

Biman Bangladesh Airlines · US-Bangla Airlines · Novoair

Wikipedia, Biman Bangladesh Airlines corporate history, Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh

Airlines3