15/05/2015
The government is planning to make some of the country's unused airports operational to encourage local airlines in operation in rural areas.
Alongside the move, it is also mulling to resume construction of Khan Jahan Ali Airport in Bagerhat. The construction has remained stalled since 1996.
The civil aviation ministry was analysing the Tk 464-crore construction project for the go-ahead form the Executive Committee on National Economic Council, said civil aviation ministry officials.
Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (Caab) had started assessing the infrastructural and safety features of six small airports upon directives from the civil aviation ministry, said the ministry officials.
Caab officials said the Barisal, Ishwardi, Comilla, Shamshernagar in Moulvibazar, Lalmonirhat and Thakurgaon airports might be selected for Short Takeoff and Landing (STOL) aircraft.
According to the Caab website, Shamshernagar and Comilla are STOLports.
Faruk Khan, civil aviation and tourism minister, recently told The Daily Star that he was expecting the Caab report to land within a short time, as the decision of making unused airports operational depended on it.
He said he had already asked national flag carrier Biman and private operators United Airways Bangladesh Ltd and Regent Airways to procure 15 to 20-seater STOL aircraft. Initially, the operators would not be charged for anything, such as landing and parking, he added.
“They will be charged from when they expand their business and earn more revenue,” he said.
Imran Asif, chief executive officer at Regent Airways, said it would not be viable for them to operate flights to those domestic destinations until they started international operation.
He said they were expecting to get Caab clearance for international operation by September this year.
KHAN JAHAN ALI AIRPORT
The Bangladesh Institute of Management (BIM) had been asked to figure out the benefits if the airport was constructed, said a Caab engineer.
Minister Faruk Khan said tourism and commerce in the area would get a huge boost if the airport was built, as the Sundarbans and Mongla Sea Port are located nearby.
Sources said the construction of Khan Jahan Ali Airport had started during the Awami League government's 1996-2001 tenure. The government acquired 95 acres of land at Faila in Rampal in 1996 for the project. That very year, the Bagerhat district administration handed over the land to Caab.
In 1997, the authorities started filling the land. During the time Tk 24 crore was disbursed.
But the successive BNP-led government planned to construct a medium-size airport there. The project cost was estimated at Tk 83 crore prompting the authorities concerned to acquire more land. An additional Tk 10 crore was used for the earth-filling, but from 2006 till date the works remain suspended.
