United News of Bangladesh

Authorities have strengthened security in and around Shah Amanat International Airport and the seaport amid fears of possible cyberattacks. To prevent any untoward incidents, the airport and police authorities have taken joint precautionary measures including setting up a four-tier security cordon around the airport and banning all rallies, processions, and demonstrations near the airport, port, and customs areas. Group Captain Sheikh Abdullah Alamgir, Director of Shah Amanat International Airport, told UNB that the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) issued a nationwide alert to all airports to guard against potential cyberattacks targeting aviation systems. “Even before the alert, we had intensified security at the Chattogram airport to avert any unwanted situation,” he said. Third terminal at Dhaka airport to open soon: Commerce Adviser “Surveillance on suspicious passengers has been increased and our own security personnel are patrolling the airport area round the clock. Besides, a task force led by the Bangladesh Air Force remains active to ensure overall security.” Mohammad Ibrahim Khalil, the airport’s Public Relations Officer, said that due to the dense population around the Patenga area where the airport is located, special attention is being given to the perimeter and surrounding  areas. Armed Battalion Police and Ansar members are working to ensure comprehensive security, including maintaining the airport’s boundary wall and restricting unauthorised access, he addded. A four-tier security system has been activated covering the entry gate, checkpoints, baggage scanning areas, and runway zones, he said. Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP) has also tightened security measures at the port to ensure smooth import-export activities. CMP Deputy Commissioner (Traffic-Port) Kabir Ahmed said police have issued a 30-day ban on all rallies and gatherings in key areas including Barik Building, Nimtala, Customs Crossing, and Saltgola intersections. “Earlier, the Chattogram Port Authority had requested the CMP Commissioner to prohibit gatherings within the port and jetty areas to maintain operational security,” he added. The port and airport areas, stretching from Agrabad to the Patenga coastline — covering about 12 square kilometers — host several vital installations including two government EPZs, the Padma, Meghna, and Jamuna oil depots, and multiple public and private oil refineries.

A Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight (BG 148) arriving from Dubai was forced to return to Shah Amanat International Airport shortly after departing for Dhaka due to a technical fault on Thursday morning. The flight, carrying 287 passengers, initially landed safely in Chattogram at 7:15 am. It took off again for Dhaka at 8:37 am but returned and landed safely at 8:58 am following the fault. The aircraft is currently stationed at Bay No. 8 of the airport, and all passengers are reported to be safe. Singapore-bound Biman flight returns to Dhaka, all passengers safe Engineer Mohammad Ibrahim Khalil, Public Relations Officer at Shah Amanat International Airport, said the airline arranged for all affected passengers to be transferred to another flight, BG-122, which departed for Dhaka at 10:50 am.

Flight operations at Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram were suspended for nearly two hours on Saturday morning after a Biman flight carrying Hajj pilgrims got stranded on the runway. All passengers were safely disembarked after the fault was fixed, said Md Ibrahim Khalil, spokesperson for Shah Amanat International Airport. Biman’s Dhaka-Narita flight suspension draws flak The Biman flight, BG 138, carrying 387 Hajj pilgrims from Saudi Arabia's Madinah landed at the airport at 9:30 am but came to a halt near the end of Runway-23 to a technical glitch, he said. The aircraft was towed to an adjacent area using a tug vehicle around 11:20am allowing runway operations to resume.

At least four inbound flights to Dhaka were diverted to Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram on Friday afternoon due to adverse weather conditions in the capital. According to the airport security division, the affected flights included both international and domestic routes. Turkish Airlines flight makes emergency landing at Dhaka airport Air Arabia flight 514, an Airbus A321 operating on the Sharjah–Dhaka route, was diverted and landed in Chattogram at 4:33 pm. Air Astra flight 446 from Cox’s Bazar to Dhaka also landed in Chattogram at 4:32 pm.US-Bangla Airlines flight BS164, an ATR-72 aircraft on the Rajshahi–Dhaka route, was diverted and landed at 4:47 pm. Another US-Bangla flight, BS188, also an ATR-72 operating on the Saidpur–Dhaka route, landed in Chattogram at 5:15 pm after diversion.

A Bangladeshi national was detained with 12 gold bars at Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram Friday, Customs officials said. The arrestee has been identified as Md Mizan Uddin, a resident of Fatikchari upazila, said Farhad Hossain, managing wing commander of the airport. Also read: Youth held with 10 gold bars in Magura Mizan arrived from Sharjah around 7.30 am on an Air Arabia flight. "The gold bars, weighing 1.4kg and worth Tk one crore, were found in his baggage during checking," said the official. A case will be filed against the accused at Patenga police station in this regard, he said. Also read: Man held with 1.24 kg gold, lead at Chattogram Airport

Customs officials on Wednesday claimed to have seized more than 7, 200 cartons of foreign cigarettes during a drive at Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram. Tipped off, a team of Customs officials seized the cartons from the green channel of the airport on Tuesday night, deputy commissioner of Chattogram Customs, Salauddin Rizvi, said. The market value of the seized cigarettes is Tk 1.10 crore, he said. "Process is on to take legal action. However, no one was arrested in this connection." Also read: Man detained with 11 gold bars at Sylhet airport  

Customs officials on Wednesday claimed to have detained a man with 34 gold bars at Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram. The detainee has been identified as Saiful Islam of Lohagara upazila in Chattogram. Wing Commander Farhad Hossain, director of the airport, said an Air Arabia Airlines flight from Dubai landed at the airport around 7.30am. Tipped off, a team of Customs intelligence sleuths frisked Saidul on board the aircraft and seized the gold bars. Also Read: Gold bars worth Tk 40 lakh seized at Chattogram airport “A process is on to take legal steps against the detainee,” said deputy commissioner of Customs Intelligence, AKM Sultan Mahmud.

Customs officials detained a man along with 28 gold bars, weighing 3 kg, from Chattogram Shah Amanat International Airport on Sunday, officials said. Deputy Commissioner of Chattogram Customs, Niamul Hasan said a flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines BG-136 from Jeddah landed at the airport in the morning. Also read: Man detained with 11 gold bars at Sylhet airport During scanning, the customs officials suspected existence of metal objects in the luggage of a passenger , whose name could not be known immediately, and challenged him. Later, they seized the gold bars from his luggage.

Customs officials on Thursday detained man along with 10 gold bars at Chattogram Shah Amanat International Airport. The detainee was Sazzad Hossain, a passenger of BG-4136 flight that landed at the airport from Jeddah. Also read: Man detained with gold bars & foreign fags at Ctg airport The gold bars were detected while scanning the luggage of Sazzad, said Md Salauddin Rizvi, Deputy Commissioner of Chattogram Airport Customs. The bars were hidden wrapped in scotch tape in lithium battery carbon inside a toy car, he said. Legal action will be taken against the detainee, he said. Also read: CAAB cleaning staff held with 41.76 kg gold bars at Dhaka airport

A Bangladeshi national has been detained with seven gold bars and 1,000 cigarettes worth TK 52 lakh at Chattogram Shah Amanat International Airport, Customs officials said on Tuesday. The detainee has been identified as Mohammad Arman Uddin, a UAE returnee. Arman's flight from the UAE landed at the Chattogram airport on Monday night. Also read: BGB nabs smuggler with 7 gold bars in Rajshahi "As he was passing through the green channel, Customs officials on duty became suspicious and frisked him only to seize the gold bars and the foreign fags," said AKM Sultan Mahmud, deputy director of Customs intelligence and investigation department. A case will be filed in this regard and the detainee will be handed over to the police for further action, said Mahmud. Also read: 2 held with gold bars worth Tk 2.5 cr at Benapole