Ambassador of France to Bangladesh Jean-Marc Séré-Charlet has welcomed Bangladesh’s efforts to strengthen its position on the world stage by developing a competitive national airline capable of better connecting Bangladesh with the rest of the world.

"This ambition goes far beyond the acquisition of new, competitive aircraft, and France stands ready to support Bangladesh on its path towards modernisation and growth, including through the development of the full range of its civil aviation sector,” said the Ambassador.

He said France has a long-standing partnership with Bangladesh built over decades of mutual respect and a shared vision.

The Ambassador congratulated Biman Bangladesh Airlines and Airbus at the signing ceremony of a contract between the two sides on Wednesday evening, marking the beginning of a long-term partnership.

“What is signed today is much more than an aircraft purchase,” the Ambassador said, with Airbus offering a comprehensive package of training, spare parts and engineering support to ensure a successful and timely entry into service of the new aircraft - four wide-body A350s and six narrow-body A321s.

Airbus is a symbol of European industrial excellence. Headquartered in Toulouse, France, it is the product of cooperation between several European countries.

Beyond the aircraft themselves, Airbus has expressed its willingness to work with  Biman and the government of Bangladesh to help develop the wider aviation ecosystem, including skills development, maintenance, branding and fleet planning, said the French Embassy in Dhaka on Thursday.

The strategic mix of Airbus’s narrow-body and wide-body aircraft is aimed at ensuring high fuel efficiency, lower seat-mile costs and seamless cross-family operational commonality, from regional to long-haul routes.