US-Bangla Airlines

If you spot in the Gulf or Southeast Asia, between Emirates, Qatar and the big Asian airlines you keep running into an oddball with an S2 registration: US-Bangla Airlines. The Dhaka-based airline is hardly known in Europe, but it has an exciting fleet – from turboprops to a widebody jet with over 400 seats. This page shows you how to place US-Bangla, which types to expect and where your chances of a sighting are best.

US-Bangla Airlines at a glance

US-Bangla Airlines is Bangladesh’s largest private airline. It was founded in 2010 as a subsidiary of the US-Bangla Group, a conglomerate active in real estate, education, media and online retail, among other things. The airline began operations in July 2014 – at first only domestically, with connections from Dhaka to Chittagong and Jessore. Cox’s Bazar and Saidpur were added in the same year.

In the following years US-Bangla gradually grew abroad. With the Boeing 737-800, whose introduction was announced from 2016, came regional international routes, and in 2019 Chennai and Guangzhou, among others, followed. With the Guangzhou route, US-Bangla is considered the first airline from Bangladesh to fly to China. Since 2019 it has been regarded as the country’s second-largest airline by fleet size, behind the state-owned Biman Bangladesh Airlines.

The airline took its next step in February 2024: with the first Airbus A330-300, the first widebody joined the fleet. With it, US-Bangla mainly serves the heavily demanded Gulf routes, on which many migrant workers from Bangladesh travel, as well as pilgrim flights to Saudi Arabia.

Codes, callsign and hub

• IATA code BS: appears in the flight number, so on departure boards and tickets.
• ICAO code UBG: appears in the air traffic control flight plan and on many flight trackers.
• Callsign: The crew checks in on the radio as “Banglastar”.
• Hub DAC: Dhaka Hazrat Shahjalal International is the home base; Chittagong (CGP) is an important second base in the network.

Dhaka Airport has a single runway (14/32) of about 3.5 kilometers in length. A new, large Terminal 3 has been under construction for years and was partially inaugurated in 2023; according to Bangladeshi sources, full operation is delayed until the end of 2026 or 2027. How IATA and ICAO codes work in general is explained in the article IATA and ICAO codes explained.

The fleet: three types, three jobs

US-Bangla flies a small but colorfully mixed fleet. According to the fleet overview on Wikipedia (as of August 2025), it looks roughly like this:

Type	Count (approx.)	Role	Spotter note
Airbus A330-300	3	Gulf routes, pilgrim flights	All-economy with over 400 seats, leased
Boeing 737-800	4	Regional international routes	Classic 737 Next Generation
ATR 72-600	9	Domestic network	High-wing turboprop, largest sub-fleet
De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400	retired	Domestic and regional (2014–2023)	Historic, no longer in service

Because the fleet is small, even one or two additions or returns can change the picture noticeably. US-Bangla has also announced further growth with Boeing narrowbodies, including the Boeing 737 MAX 8. When and in what numbers these aircraft actually fly is something you should check before a trip.

Airbus A330-300

The A330-300 is the flagship of the fleet. US-Bangla took over the first aircraft in February 2024; the A330s are leased and not owned by the airline. How such models work is explained in the article Aircraft leasing. The cabin is special: with 436 seats it is laid out entirely as economy – a very high number for an A330-300. That fits its use on the Gulf routes, where what is mainly in demand is lots of capacity at low fares.

The manufacturer is Airbus. If you are unsure how to tell an A330 from an A340, the article A330 or A340? helps – the number of engines is the quickest clue.

Boeing 737-800

The Boeing 737-800 was US-Bangla’s first jet (its introduction was announced for 2016) and brought the entry into international routes. Today it mainly flies medium distances, for example to India, Nepal, Southeast Asia or the Gulf. One incident from the early days: in September 2018, the nose gear of a 737-800 (S2-AJA) jammed on approach to Cox’s Bazar; after a long holding pattern to burn off fuel, the aircraft landed without the nose wheel extended, and some passengers were slightly injured while evacuating.

Whether you are looking at a 737-800 or a MAX, you can tell by the engines, winglets and tail cone. You will find the details in the guide Telling the Boeing 737 Original, Classic, NG and MAX apart. The manufacturer is Boeing.

ATR 72-600

The ATR 72-600 is the largest sub-fleet. In February 2019 US-Bangla ordered four ATR 72-600s, the first arrived in March 2019 – and the fleet kept growing afterward. The turboprops fly mainly domestically: Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, Jessore, Rajshahi, Saidpur and Sylhet. For the short runways and the many short sectors in Bangladesh, the fuel-efficient high-wing aircraft is the right choice. The manufacturer is ATR.

ATR 72-600 or Dash 8-400? How to tell them apart

On old photos of US-Bangla you will still see the Dash 8-400, which was in service from 2014 to 2023. Both turboprops are high-wing aircraft with two propellers – so at first glance they look similar. A few features help sort your pictures.

More details, including on the ATR 42 and other turboprops, can be found in the guide Telling the ATR 42/72 and Dash 8 apart.

Flight 211: the Kathmandu crash

A severe turning point in the airline’s short history was March 12, 2018. A Dash 8-400 with the registration S2-AGU, flying from Dhaka to Kathmandu, crashed while landing at Tribhuvan International Airport. After an unstable approach, the aircraft veered off the runway, broke apart and caught fire. 51 of the 71 people on board died.

The Nepalese investigation commission presented its final report in January 2019 and named disorientation and loss of situational awareness in the crew as the probable cause. Bangladesh’s representative on the commission disagreed in part and also saw shortcomings in the support provided by air traffic control. After the crash, US-Bangla initially suspended flights to Kathmandu; according to the route overview, the resumption of Kathmandu is planned from September 2026 – check the current schedule before you rely on it.

For you as a spotter, this chapter is mainly background knowledge: it explains why older photos and reports about US-Bangla are often linked to the crash – and why the Dash 8 plays no role today.

How to recognize US-Bangla

On the fuselage, every aircraft carries the “US-Bangla” titles, and the airline’s logo sits on the tail. Because the fleet includes three very different types, the silhouette alone is already a good first clue: if you see an A330 with an S2 registration in the Gulf, practically only US-Bangla or Biman come into question. A turboprop with S2- at a foreign airport, on the other hand, is rare – the ATRs mostly stay domestic.

The most important feature remains the registration. S2- is the prefix for Bangladesh, and you hardly ever see it at European airports. If you collect registrations, US-Bangla gives you a real oddball in your logbook. How the hobby works is explained in Collecting registrations.

Where you can spot US-Bangla

As of October 2026, US-Bangla does not fly to any destinations in Europe. If you want to get the airline in front of your lens, you have to build it into a trip to Asia or the Middle East. The international network currently includes the following destinations, among others:

Region	Destinations (selection)	Typical type
Gulf and Saudi Arabia	Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Muscat, Jeddah, Riyadh	A330-300, 737-800
Southeast Asia	Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi, Singapore	737-800
South Asia	Chennai, Kolkata, Kathmandu, Malé	737-800
China	Guangzhou	737-800

Your best chances are at the big Gulf airports. At Dubai Airport, US-Bangla is one of many South Asian airlines serving the migrant worker traffic; it is similar at Doha Airport and Abu Dhabi Airport. Before you unpack your camera in Dubai, be sure to read the article on the rules for photography in the UAE – spotting there is heavily regulated. General tips can be found in Plane spotting in Dubai.

In Southeast Asia you will meet US-Bangla at Kuala Lumpur Airport, at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi and at Singapore Changi. There the airline is a rather rare guest among Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, Thai and Singapore Airlines.

US-Bangla compared

In its home market, US-Bangla competes mainly with Biman. Both airlines have their hub in Dhaka, and both fly to the Gulf and Southeast Asia. The difference lies in the fleet: on long-haul routes Biman also relies on the Boeing 777 and 787 and, unlike US-Bangla, flies to Europe. US-Bangla keeps its fleet leaner and concentrates on Asia and the Middle East.

On the Gulf and India routes you also meet US-Bangla alongside Indian airlines such as IndiGo and Air India Express as well as Gulf airlines such as flydubai. How the business model of the big Gulf carriers differs from this is explained in the article Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad.

Common mix-ups

• Taking US-Bangla for a US airline – the airline comes from Bangladesh and does not fly to the US.
• Confusing US-Bangla and Biman – both carry S2 registrations; the titles on the fuselage and the ICAO code (UBG versus BBC for Biman) settle the assignment.
• Logging the ATR as a Dash 8 – on old photos it is often the Dash 8-400, but today only the ATR 72-600 flies.
• Seeing the A330 as a long-haul jet with business class – at US-Bangla the A330 is a pure economy capacity carrier.
• Confusing the IATA code BS with the Bahamas – BS here is purely an airline designator, not a country indication.

Conclusion

US-Bangla Airlines is a young, fast-growing airline with a small but versatile fleet. ATR 72-600s domestically, Boeing 737-800s on regional routes and A330-300s with very dense seating to the Gulf – each type has its clear role. You will not get to see the airline in Europe, but you will at the Gulf airports and in Southeast Asia. If you spot there, watch for the S2 registration: it turns an ordinary sighting into a rare entry.