RSS Feed (xml)
International Airport to international flights, aiming to make it a
regional hub in future. "Adoption of an open sky policy for the
Chittagong airport is now under our active consideration. We want
that it turns a major aviation hub in South Asia," Hedayetullah Al
Mamoon, civil aviation and tourism secretary, told The Daily Star
yesterday. He said a feasibility study is underway to evaluate the
policy. He expects that such a policy will have a positive impact on
trade and commerce at the port city besides attracting foreign
tourists to visit the world's longest unbroken sea beach in Cox's
Bazar. The airport in Chittagong, which was modernised earlier this
decade at a cost of more than Tk 500 crore, has a capacity to handle
as many as 3 million passengers and nearly 6 ,000 tonnes of cargo a
year, as its runway allows wide bodied aircraft to land. But much of
its potential remains untapped due to scanty air movement at the port
city. Analysts linked the under-utilisation of the airport to a lack
of infrastructure and poor air traffic, which discourages airlines to
fly. They said problems with Departure Control System (DCS),
refuelling, cargo handling and flight catering remain. Domestic
carriers -- Biman, GMG, United -- and two foreign airlines --Air
Arabia and Oman Air -- are presently operating flights from the
airport. Thai Airways once began flights from the port city but
discontinued operations in 2008. Officials of the Civil Aviation
Authority, Bangladesh (CAAB) however said it will improve facilities
to lure more airlines to use the port. "We will remove all the
shortcomings at the airport to attract airlines. We are also
receiving positive responses from airlines to operate from there,"
said CAAB Chairman Air Commodore Sakeb Iqbal Khan Majlis, citing the
interests of carriers like Dubai based budget airline Fly Dubai to
operate flights from the Chittagong airport. He said opening up the
airport for all carriers will not only help reduce pressures on Zia
International Airport in Dhaka but also increase Chittagong airport's
viability. "It will attract more airlines to use the airport, as
there will be no restrictions on flight operations once the open sky
policy came into force," he said. Majlis said CAAB will draft an open
sky policy for Chittagong, if the results of the feasibility study are
positive. "Opening up the Chittagong skies will help increase
government revenue earnings because of an increased movement of
carriers," he said. This policy for the Chittagong airport will be
effective after a final approval from the cabinet, Majlis added. Kazi
Wahidul Alam, editor of aviation and tourism fortnightly 'The
Bangladesh Monitor', hailed the plan, but said the port suffers from
inadequate infrastructure to lure carriers. "It is a good move, but
the government needs to develop infrastructure facilities to attract
carriers," he said. Traffic from Chittagong remains at low levels and
efforts should be made to develop markets to lure airlines, said
Alam. "If there are facilities, people will come to avail services."
