Biman Bangladesh Airlines

Is Biman Bangladesh safe?

Biman is a reasonable choice: it has not had a fatal accident since 1984, and its long-haul flights use Boeing 787s and 777-300ERs. We score it 68, a little above SpiceJet (63) and well above PIA (39). The catch is behind the aircraft. Bangladesh's regulator holds an FAA Category 2FAA IASAThe US FAA's check of whether a country's aviation regulator meets ICAO standards. Category 1 means it does; Category 2 means it does not.More in the glossary rating, publishes few investigation reports, and Biman itself had to discipline engineering staff after a string of technical faults in 2025.

The accident record in our 20-year window has two write-offsHull lossAn accident in which an aircraft is destroyed or damaged beyond economic repair. People may or may not be hurt.More in the glossary and no deaths. One was not the airline's fault. The other, at Yangon in 2019, was.

The two write-offs since 2006

Dubai, 12 March 2007. An Airbus A310 flying from London to Dhaka via Dubai was just past decision speed on take-off when its nose landing gear collapsed. The crew stopped on the runway and all 250 people got off. Investigators found that the nose wheel had hit half a wheel rim that had broken off a previous aircraft's wheel during its take-off. The A310 never flew again. Because another operator's debris caused it, we count the event but weigh it lightly.

Yangon, 8 May 2019. Flight 60 from Dhaka, a Dash 8-400, was cleared for an approach to Yangon after a thunderstorm had closed the airport. It came in above the glide path and up to 30 knots too fast. At 22 feet the captain pushed the control column forward while the first officer, who was flying, pulled back. The aircraft skipped down the runway, became airborne again, and then hit the ground and slid into the overrun area. The fuselage broke in two places and the right wing came off. Everyone survived, but twelve were seriously injured. Myanmar's investigators named the cause in one line: the approach was unstable and the pilots did not go around.

The accident data also lists a hijacking. In February 2019 a passenger brandishing a toy gun tried to reach the cockpit of a 737-800 shortly after take-off from Dhaka. The crew landed at Chittagong, the passengers were evacuated and security forces killed the hijacker. That is unlawful interference, which we describe but do not count.

What the recent incidents show

Most of Biman's recent incidents are the ordinary kind, such as bird strikes at Dhaka and Chittagong, cracked windscreens on 737s and 787s, and a cargo smoke warning on a 777 over India in February 2025. Two stand out.

In May 2025 the inner left main wheel of a Dash 8-400 came off as it climbed away from Cox's Bazar. The crew flew on to Dhaka and landed safely; Biman said a wheel bearing had failed. More technical faults followed that summer. In August 2025 Biman moved one engineering official as a punishment, served a show-cause notice on another in Chittagong and set up a committee to review every technical problem from 1 July to 13 August. We have not found its findings.

In August 2021 a 737 captain flying from Muscat fell ill in flight and later died; the first officer diverted to Nagpur and landed safely. It was a medical event, and the crew handled it as trained.

What is missing matters as much. The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh publishes few incident reports, and incident trackers list nothing for Biman after mid-2025. We read that as thin reporting, not a clean year, and score serious incidents at 52.

Regulator and audits

The FAA's April 2025 safety assessment list puts Bangladesh in Category 2FAA IASAThe US FAA's check of whether a country's aviation regulator meets ICAO standards. Category 1 means it does; Category 2 means it does not.More in the glossary. That does not ban Biman from anywhere, but it blocks new flights to the US, which is why Biman's New York route, dropped in 2006, has not returned. Bangladesh is not on the EU Air Safety ListEU Air Safety ListThe European Commission's list of airlines banned or restricted from flying in EU airspace because they do not meet international safety standards.More in the glossary, and Biman flies to London. Biman is an IATA member, so it passes the IOSAIOSAThe IATA Operational Safety Audit, an international audit of an airline's safety management and operations. Every IATA member must pass it.More in the glossary operational audit every two years.

That combination sits between India and Pakistan. Indian airlines get 70 to 72 for oversight with FAA Category 1 and IOSA. PIA gets 50 after a four-year European ban. Biman gets 60.

Fleet and orders

Biman flies about 19 aircraft: Boeing 777-300ERs on its busiest long-haul and Gulf routes, 787-8s and 787-9s, 737-800s on regional routes and Dash 8-400 turboprops at home. The 787s arrived from 2018 and are the youngest jets in the fleet; the 777-300ERs date from 2011 to 2014. In 2026 Biman ordered 25 Boeing 787s and 737 MAX jets in two batches, and in October four Airbus A350-900s and six A321neos. Most deliveries are years away.

Flying Biman: what to consider

• Domestic flights use short runways. Saidpur's runway is 1,829 metres long, and monsoon storms from June to September close airports for hours. A delay or diversion is the system working.
• Pick the 787 where you can. On the Gulf and London routes Biman flies either the 787 or the 777; both are sound, but the 787s are the youngest aircraft in the fleet.
• Kathmandu is a hard approach for every airline. If your Biman flight to Nepal holds or diverts because of cloud, expect it, and do not book a tight connection.

How we scored it

The accident record (80) is the strongest factor: no deaths in 20 years, with one write-offHull lossAn accident in which an aircraft is destroyed or damaged beyond economic repair. People may or may not be hurt.More in the glossary caused by the crew and one caused by debris. The fleet (72) is modern. Oversight (60) reflects FAA Category 2FAA IASAThe US FAA's check of whether a country's aviation regulator meets ICAO standards. Category 1 means it does; Category 2 means it does not.More in the glossary and a regulator that reports little, and serious incidents (52) the 2025 faults and thin data. For comparison see US-Bangla Airlines, which flies under the same regulator.