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.

A trolleyman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) was detained with four gold bars worth Tk32 lakh at Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram Saturday, authorities said. The detainee was identified as Md Ismail of Hathazari upazila. Read: Man held with Tk. 1.8 crore worth gold On information, Ismail was held at the parking area of the airport around 10:30am, Wing Commander M Farhad Hossain Khan, director of Shah Amanat Airport, said. The gold bars were seized from the bags he was carrying on his trolley, he added. "Legal actions will be taken against Ismail."

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.

Customs officials held a cleaning staff of Civil Aviation authority, Bangladesh on Thursday carrying 36 pieces of gold bars weighing 41.76 kg at Hazrat Shahjalal international Airport in Dhaka. The detainee is Mohammad Surujuzzaman, employed by the CAAB at the airport. Following a tip off, a preventive team of customs officials of Dhaka Customs House challenged Surujuzzaman at 11:30 am in front of the arrival health counter of the airport as his movement was suspicious. READ: Domestic airports are getting face-lift to offer quality services to passengers: CAAB The gold bars were recovered from the pockets of his pants covered with scotch tapes. Each bar weighed 116 grams and the total worth of the bar will be around Tk 3 crore at current market price, said the customs officials. READ: World-class third terminal of Dhaka Airport to be visible by Dec: CAAB Md Abu Sayeed, Assistant Revenue Officer (preventive) of Dhaka Customs House filed a case in this regard at the airport police station under the Customs Act, 1969.

Civil Aviation Authority, Bangladesh (CAAB) has taken initiatives to modernise and expand all domestic airports of the country as well as the quality of passenger services. According to the Civil Aviation Authority, measures have been taken to modernize and expand the domestic terminals of seven airports in the country. Apart from three international airports- Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka, Shah Amanat International Airport, Chattogram and Osmani International Airport, Sylhet there are domestic airports in Cox's Bazar,  Rajshahi, Saidpur, Nilphamari and Barisal. Steps to modernise all domestic airports in phases Asked about all initiatives, CAAB Chairman Air vice Marshal M Mofizur Rahman told UNB that work is underway to enhance the quality of passenger services at the seven domestic airports, including the domestic terminal at Shahjalal International Airport. He said that the number of passengers on domestic flights has increased a lot in the country at present. Work on the landing terminal at Dhaka Airport has already started. "We hope that the expansion work will be completed soon. Everything else will be done quickly." The chairman said there is a plan to expand the domestic terminal of Dhaka airport by the middle of this year. The work on expanding the domestic terminal will be completed in Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport first. READ: Parliamentary body visits Cox’s Bazar Airport project A budget has been earmarked for phasing out the domestic terminal buildings of all other airports in the same manner. Permission has already been sought from the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism. The internal terminal will be further modernized. Besides, the work of transforming Cox's Bazar Airport into an International airport is going on and the domestic terminal will be more modernized there. According to CAAB, the initiative has been taken to handle the increasing pressure of domestic passengers as well as to enhance the quality of services. A 8,000 sq ft floor is being constructed on the second floor of the old terminal building inside Dhaka airport. Half of that floor will have two international standard lines and the other half will have passenger seats and other facilities. There will be an air conditioning system with elevators. READ: Dhaka airport's 3rd terminal to 'boost' trade He further said modern scanning machines, security equipment, two international standard lounges, seating capacity of more than 300 passengers, smoking zone, diaper changing station and mothers' corner will be set up at the domestic terminal at Dhaka Airport. Increasing pressure on domestic flights In this regard, the State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Md Mahbub Ali told UNB that steps have been taken to modernize and expand all domestic airports in the country further as per the directives of the prime minister to enhance the quality of passenger services at airports in line with various countries in the world. He said, "Domestic flights within the country's existing passenger transport system have been increasing at a significant rate in the last few years. The people of the country are now much more economically advanced." Foreigners, businesspeople, and tourists are traveling more on domestic flights to save time, so the number of passengers is increasing day by day. That is why the project has been taken with emphasis on all domestic airport works, he added. He said the waiting time of passengers at the domestic terminal in Dhaka will be made comfortable with more facilities. All the domestic airports in the country will be arranged properly. "We have taken the initiative to provide all the facilities of the international airport to be available in the domestic airports too," he added. According to CAAB, the security arrangements at the internal terminal are being further updated. Internal terminals will be equipped with security equipment to prevent crime. Security will be further strengthened on all routes. Services need to be enhanced both in airports and airlines Biman Bangladesh Airlines, US-Bangla Airlines and NovoAir operate domestic flights. However, US-Bangla Airlines has the largest number of flights. Kamrul Islam, General Manager (Public Relations) of US-Bangla Airlines, told UNB that the number of passengers on domestic flights has increased by almost 300 per cent in 7-8 years. Passenger facilities have not increased accordingly and the quality of passenger service has remained the same, he said. He said airlines should not just increase the quality of passenger service. The airport must also have quality of service. In all, both airports and airlines must provide the same quality services to passengers. He said passenger lounges have been set up in Dhaka, Cox's Bazar and Rajshahi. Similarly, the quality of passenger service needs to be enhanced with all facilities including passenger lounges at all other domestic airports.

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

Biman Bangladesh Airlines will resume Bangladesh-India air bubble flights on the Dhaka-Kolkata-Dhaka route from September 5 and the Dhaka-Delhi-Dhaka route three days later. The flights will restart within the air bubble agreed between the two countries before the resumption of scheduled international passenger flights. The national flag carrier will operate flights on the Dhaka-Kolkata-Dhaka route two days per week (Tuesday and Thursday) and two days per week (Sunday and Wednesday) on the Dhaka-Delhi-Dhaka route, according to Tahera Khondoker, deputy general manager (public relations), of Biman. On September 2, the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) accepted the Indian civil aviation ministry's proposal to resume Bangladesh-India air bubble flights on September 4. Read: US-Bangla to resume flights on Dhaka-Chennai route from Sunday

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.

Bangladesh is set to add another feather to its development journey with the formal groundbreaking inauguration of the runway extension work along the Sea at Cox's Bazar Airport on Sunday. This maritime runway, the first of its kind in Bangladesh, is seen as a major step towards promoting Cox’s Bazar, the country's popular beach town, to an international metropolis. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to virtually inaugurate the groundbreaking ceremony and unveil the foundation stone of the runway extension at 10am, said an official. Read PM inaugurates work on Cox's Bazar Airport’s runway upgradation Apparently inspired by Hong Kong International Airport, the government of Bangladesh has taken the runway expansion project at the Cox's Bazar Airport by reclaiming land from the sea. Upon completion of the project, all types of large aircraft will be able to take off and land on the maritime runway, officials said. The US$ 185 million project will help boost the development of Cox’s Bazar and the neighbouring regions, they said. Read Bangladesh unlocks tourism The government is currently implementing a large number of projects in Cox's Bazar under a mega plan to develop the tourism city like Singapore and Hong Kong.

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.