As Biman Bangladesh Airlines Ltd. prepares for its 40th anniversary in 2012, it’s clear that the national flag carrier has come a long way. The airline started from scratch in 1972 with DC-3 aircraft gifted from the Bangladesh Air Force. Biman recently took delivery of a new 777-300ER, the latest fleet addition to sport the stylized stork tail logo of the growing airline. The newairplane is also the 300th 777-300ER to be delivered by Boeing to airlines around the world.

This is just the beginning of an aggressive fleet modernization that will eventually include four 777-300ERs, four 787-8 Dreamliners, and two Next-Generation 737-800s. The airplanes are slated for delivery between now and 2021.