EU wants level-playing field in aircraft procurement

The European Union has urged Bangladesh to give Airbus an equal opportunity to compete with Boeing in supplying aircraft to Biman Bangladesh Airlines, after the national flag carrier signed a deal to buy 14 aircraft from the US company.

It also called for transparency in government procurement and said decisions should be based on commercial merit.

EU Ambassador to Bangladesh and Head of Delegation Michael Miller made the remarks at a joint briefing on Sunday after a meeting with the government and ambassadors and representatives of the 27 EU member states at the Ministry of Commerce.

“We think Airbus has an incredibly competitive offer. Dhaka should take it very seriously,” Miller said. He also expressed hope that Airbus and Biman would hold discussions on the matter soon.

Biman signed the Boeing deal on April 30 to buy eight Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners, two Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and four Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft.

The aircraft have an estimated market value of around $3.7 billion, or about Tk45,000 crore. They are scheduled to be delivered between 2031 and 2035.

Bangladesh had earlier taken a policy decision to buy 10 Airbus aircraft following French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Dhaka in 2023.

The plan later shifted towards Boeing amid a change of government and growing pressure to reduce Bangladesh’s trade gap with the United States. Miller said the EU wanted a level playing field in government procurement.

“If you take a government procurement decision, it should be based on commercial merit and our companies should be able to compete to the best of their ability with companies from any country,” he said.

The EU’s call comes as Bangladesh seeks to strengthen trade and investment ties with the bloc, its largest export market.