Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) Chairman Air Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman has said that the expansion and modernization works of all 8 airports – international and domestic – in the country, involving Tk 35,850 crore, will be completed by the end of the current year. “Once the work is completed, there will be major changes in infrastructures of the airports. All the airports will be equipped with modern amenities, and they will get an attractive look,” the CAAB chief told UNB in an exclusive interview recently. Work is going on in full swing to implement the projects as per the instructions of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, he said, adding that the engineers of CAAB worked round the clock even during the Covid-19 pandemic. “We have ensured the quality of the work and maintained European standard in terms of equipment and safety materials,” he added. “More than 70 percent work of the third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka has been completed and the operational activities of the new terminal will be inaugurated in October this year. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the third terminal,” he said. Read more: Domestic airports are getting face-lift to offer quality services to passengers: CAAB “After completion of the third terminal, passenger handling capacity at Dhaka airport will increase from 10 million to 22 million. Besides, cargo handling capacity will rise from 2.20 lakh ton to 7 lakh ton,” the CAAB chairman added. He said that passengers will be able to avail international standard services once the third terminal opens. Construction work of 73,548 square meter cargo apron of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport is now underway. Eighty-five percent of the project has been completed and after implementation, the apron will be able to park additional 4 long-range cargo aircraft. Read more: World-class third terminal of Dhaka Airport to be visible by Dec: CAAB Besides, the construction of general aviation hangar, hangar apron and fire station expansion project at Dhaka airport, at a cost of Tk 430 crore, is on.

Speakers at seminar on ‘Prospect of Bangladesh as Regional Aviation Hub’ have suggested the government to improve the services at the country’s domestic and international airports.They said only improvement in aviation services could attract the foreign tourists that would play vital role to turn Bangladesh into a regional aviation hub.Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) Air Vice Marshall M. Mafidur Rahman, presiding over the function, said after completion of the construction of third terminal of the Shah Jalal International Airport, aviation passengers will see a substantial improvement in the services.“We will maintain international standard in our service… We’ve already appointed foreign consultants in this regard’, he told the seminar, held on the sideline of the international travel and tourism fair titled : Triplover Dhaka Travel Mart-2022, at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in the city. Also read: Bangladesh to be turned into a global aviation hub: Hasina Organised by The Bangladesh Monitor the seminar was also addressed by Md. Abdullah Al Mamun, Managing Director of US-Bangla Airlines; Mofizur Rahman, Managing Director of Novoair; and A T M Nazrul Islam, Managing Director of United Airways Bangladesh Ltd.Representatives from different stakeholders of the country’s aviation industry including regulators, airlines, concerned apex trade bodies, aviation experts, and aviation reporters also spoke on the occasion.The participants mainly discussed on the existing hurdles and opportunities in development of Bangladesh aviation sector, and how to harness the potentials in establishing Bangladesh as a regional aviation hub, in line with the aspiration of the nation. Also read: Aviation sector growth to triple in next 15 years: State Minister Kazi Wahidul Alam, Editor The Bangladesh Monitor, moderated the session.

Braving the pandemic, the work on the construction of the third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport is progressing in full swing with officials saying that parts of the much-awaited building will be visible by December this year. The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh informed that already 22 percent of construction work has been completed and it is expected to gain momentum now that Covid-19 infections are on the wane. CAAB  Chairman Air Vice Marshal Mafidur Rahman told UNB that the construction of the 3rd terminal would be completed on time. Read BGMEA wants better cargo handling services at Dhaka airport “The progress of the work is very satisfactory,” he said. “The construction work is moving on faster than anticipated. The project will be visible from the outside within December this year,” he said. State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Mahbub Ali told UNB that the terminal, designed by renowned architect Rohani Baharin, will match the world’s most modern airports. Also read: PM inaugurates construction of Dhaka airport’s ‘Third Terminal’ Rohani is famous for her works with Changi International Airport’s Terminal 3, Wuhan Tianhe Terminal 2, Guanghzhou Baiyun New International Airport, Ahmedabad International Airport, New Islamabad International Airport, Can Tho and Phu Quoc International Airports. The state minister said that the construction work is moving faster than the draft plan which makes them hopeful that it can be inaugurated before the scheduled time, which is 2023. He said that even during the onslaught of Covid, the construction work didn’t stop for a single day and around 4,000 national and international workers are working on the project maintaining all the Covid safety protocols. Read Cox's Bazar Airport set to get a spectacular maritime runway

The air bubble flights between Bangladesh and India are likely to be resumed Saturday, instead of Friday, before the restart of scheduled international passenger flights, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB). The proposal of resumption of air bubble flights with seven frequencies has been accepted. However, a proposal of allocation of 10 frequencies is in place for consideration. Irrespective of the Covid-19 vaccination, any passenger travelling from India will have to complete a 14-day strict home quarantine. All other related provisions, including the requirement of mandatory RT-PCR test, would apply to such passengers as mentioned in Air Transportation Circular issued on August 16, which may be amended from time to time. Read: Bangladesh-India air bubble flights likely to resume Sept 3 However, the carriage of passengers can be restricted to 90% of the total seating capacity of the aircraft used. In addition to the requirement to the category of passengers, suggested in its previous letter issued on August 4, CAAB proposed including "passengers with business visa" – namely to help airlines crew to travel to India for simulator training. On August 28, the Indian civil aviation ministry said in a statement that flight operations between the two countries may resume from September 3 under the air bubble agreement.

Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) has now imposed restriction on foreign flights due to the increasing rate of Covid-19 infection rate in the country. Flights from eight countries - India, Nepal and South Africa, Botswana, Mongolia, Namibia, Panama and Tunisia under Group- A, would not be able to enter Bangladeshi airports, said a circular Monday. The restrictions would be effective until further notice. READ: Domestic flights to operate for international passengers only Bangladeshis who visited the eight countries in the last 15 days could travel to Bangladesh over special permission from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Bangladeshi engineers of ships who left the Group- A countries within past 15 days of travel to Bangladesh could return showing valid documentary evidence about their profession and signing off. Arriving to the country, 14-day institutional quarantine at government-nominated hotels at their own expense must be maintained READ: Domestic flights resume Wednesday People from Group-B countries were permitted to travel to and from Bangladesh. The countries in Group-B are - Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Georgia, Kuwait, Malaysia, Maldives, Oman, UAE, UK and Uruguay. Vaccinated passengers would have to stay at a 14-day strict home quarantine, upon arrival. In contrast, passengers not vaccinated must stay at a 14-day institutional quarantine at a government nominated hotel at their own cost. READ: Stringent lockdown: Biman's domestic flights suspended till July 7   Passengers from counties other than Group- A and B would have to complete a 14-day home quarantine as well. Incase of Covid-19 symptoms detection on the arrival, the passenger would be sent to a government hospital and might be sent to isolation at government-nominated hotels, depending on the intensity of it.

Commercial flights between Dhaka and some 38 countries will resume from Saturday (May 01, 2021), according to the country's civil aviation regulator. However, flights to high-risk countries will remain suspended, the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) said in a notification on Friday night. According to the notification, passengers coming from higher risk among these 38 countries will have to go through a 14-day mandatory institutional quarantine at government-designated hotels at their own expense. Also read: Domestic flights resume Wednesday On the other hand, passengers coming from comparatively low-risk countries will have to go through a 14-day home quarantine.  But, an exception has been made for passengers arriving from Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait -- they will go through a three-day institutional quarantine, despite being on the list of higher-risk countries.  Also read: Biman to run special flights to 5 countries from Apr 17 The rest 11 days will be considered for home quarantine based on their subsequent health examination results. The circular also said that air bubble flights with India will remain suspended until further notice. All international flights were suspended from April 14 as the government imposed a strict lockdown from that day to contain the spread of Covid-19. Read CAAB issues circular on quarantine procedure of spl flight passengers

Five family members of  Bashundhara Group's  Managing Director Sayem Sobhan Anvir and their three domestic helps left the country for Dubai on a chartered flight on Thursday night. Sources at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport said the five family members include Anvir's wife Sabrina Sobhan, their two children, wife of Anvir's younger brother Yeasha Sobhan and their daughter. Three domestic helps  also accompanied them.   Also read: Young woman found dead in Gulshan; case filed against Bashundhara MD "The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) gave permission to operate the chartered aircraft," said a CAAB official prefering anonymity.  He said the passengers boarded the aircraft on completion of necessary  formalities. He, however, said airport security officials were on high alert so that Sayem Sobhan Anvir cannot leave the country. A Dhaka court on Tuesday issued a travel ban on Sayem Sobhan after the recovery of a young woman's body hanging from the ceiling at a flat in the capital on Monday. Also read: Dhaka court imposes travel ban on Bashundhara MD over abetting suicide  The deceased was identified as Mosarat Jahan Munia, 21, daughter of late Shafiqur Rahman, a freedom fighter of Monoharpur in Cumilla district. Following the recovery of her body, the victim's sister, Nusrat Jahan, filed a case under section 306 of Bangladesh Penal Code with Gulshan Police Station on Tuesday. In the case, Nusrat Jahan made Sayem Sobhan Anvir the lone accused of abetting the death of the 21-year-old college student. Also read: Bashundhara Group MD seeks anticipatory bail On Wednesday, Anvir filed a petition with the High Court, seeking anticipatory bail in the case. But, the High Court declined to hear the anticipatory bail petition on Thursday.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) on Saturday issued a circular on the quarantine procedure of the passengers of the flights operating under special consideration. The order will remain in force until  12 pm on April 28.. All incoming or outgoing passengers shall mandatorily posses PCR based Covid-19 negative certificate. The PCR test shall be done within 72 hours of the flight departure time, according to the circular. Also read: Biman to run special flights to 5 countries from Apr 17 Arriving passengers who have received two doses of Covid-19 vaccine and possess PCR based Covid-19 negative certificate along with the proof of vaccination shall have to complete a 14-day home quarantine. The local administration will ensure their home quarantine. Arriving passengers carrying PCR based Covid-19 negative certificate and either received 1st dose of vaccine or not yet vaccinated shall have to complete a mandatory three- day institutional quarantine at government nominated facilities or at hotels on passengers own expenses. Upon completion of 3- day institutional quarantine, sample will be collected for Covid-19 PCR test. The passengers will be released to complete a total of 11 days of home quarantine if the PCR based Covid-19 test result is cound negative. The local administration will ensure their home quarantine. Also read: Domestic flights resume Wednesday In case of positive result of PCR based Covid-19 test, the passenger shall have to go for isolation at government nominated facilities at own expenses, it added. The Airlines concerned shall issue boarding passes to the passengers only after getting confirmed about the vaccination. Airlines must ensure that seats are available for the passengers at the government institutional quarantine facilities or the passengers have the proof of hotel reservation for institutional quarantine. If seats are not available at the government institutional quarantine facilities, the passenger will board flight only after ensuring hotel reservation.

A total of 14,000 expatriate workers left the country for Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Singapore from April 17 to 21 amid the countrywide lockdown enforced to contain the Covid-19 transmission. Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) Chairman Air Vice-Marshal M Mafidur Rahman said the workers flew for their designations after flight operations for expatriates resumed on April 17. Also read: Biman to run special flights to 5 countries from Apr 17 Besides, transit passengers of other countries also flew along with these 14,000 expatriate workers, he said. Earlier on April 15, the government decided to operate special flights of national flag-carrier Biman to five countries, including four in the Middle East with high concentration of Bangladeshi expat workers from April 17. Also read: Bangladesh to operate special flights to carry overseas workers The special flights can be availed to fly to three cities in Saudi Arabia (Riyadh, Dammam  and Jeddah), two of the United Arab Emirates (Dubai and Abu Dhabi), Oman's Muscat, and Qatar's Doha in the ME, as well as the city-state Singapore, said Tahera Khandaker, deputy general manager (public relations) of Biman Bangladesh Airline.

The ongoing suspension of domestic flights and charter flights of helicopter/general aviation passenger flights has been extended until April 28. The restriction came after the government decided to extend the strict lockdown to contain the rapid spike of Covid-19 infections and deaths. Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) issued a circular in this regard on Monday. The order will come into effect from April 21. Read US-Bangla to operate international flights on four routes from Saturday All other conditions of the circular under reference will remain unchanged, the circular said. Flight operations on domestic routes were suspended after the government enforced a lockdown in the first week of April. Covid-19 situation update Bangladesh again broke all previous records of Covid-19 deaths registering 112 fatalities in a 24-hour period until Monday morning. Also read: US-Bangla to operate international flights on four routes from SaturdayThe country saw over 100 deaths for the fourth consecutive day. The latest fatalities pushed up the death tally to 10,497 with a mortality rate of 1.45 percent, according to a handout from the Directorate General of Health Services.Besides, 4,271 new cases were reported during the period. The infection rate was 17.68 percent, down from 19.06 percent on Sunday. Also read: Over 200 protest flight cancellation at Dhaka airport