Six airports negligently unprotected

Country's six domestic airports are lying unused, some with no flights for over 50 years and development of some stuck in limbo.

Khanjahan Ali Airport has no runway, terminal. 700 acres of land with paddy cultivation, fish farming and cattle grazing are going on. Grass has grown on the Cumilla Airport runway. Cow grazing are at Thakurgaon airport. Some airport navigation equipment has gone from unused to useless.

Those concerned said that if these airports can be operated again through proper planning, business, investment and employment would increase. Communication in many distant areas was easy.

Out of the 15 airports of the Civil Aviation Authority, there are eight airports that handle passenger aircraft. Of these, three are international, five are domestic. The remaining six airports are abandoned and unguarded.

Only Tejgaon old airport is used for military purposes by three forces. It has no commercial use.

Stakeholders said the use of abandoned, unprotected domestic airports should be rethought. The country is now moving towards a developed and prosperous economy. The infinite potential of airspace should be exploited keeping in mind the future growth.

Khanjahan Ali Airport cow pasture: The construction work of Khanjahan Ali Airport in Bagerhat's Rampal Upazila has not progressed even in 26 years. There was no construction of any infrastructure including runway, airport terminal building. In the acquired 700 acres of land, paddy cultivation and fish farms are going on. The remaining upland areas are used by local farmers as cow pastures.

Civil Aviation Authority is not able to say when this airport project will start, which is 35 km parallel by road with Mongla Port, Bagerhat and Khulna, will be implemented.

In 1995, the then BNP government took the initiative to construct Khanjahan Ali Airport as a 'short take off and landing (stall) port'. The then Prime Minister Khaleda Zia inaugurated the foundation stone of the construction of Khanjahan Ali Airport. Later, the Awami League government came to power and filled the acquired land with soil.

Then in 2001, when the BNP-Jamaat alliance came to power, there was no further development. When the Awami League government came to power again, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced the completion of the airport on March 5, 2011. Four years after the Prime Minister's promise, the project was approved in 2015 at a cost of Tk 545 crore. Then there was a deadlock over whether the airport would be built by the government or in a public private partnership (PPP).

Mongla Port, Mongla EPZ, Special Economic Zone, Country's only LP Gas Hub at Mongla, Rampal Thermal Power Station, World Heritage Shatgumbaj Mosque and Sundarbans-centric tourism, Bagerhat-Khulnar industrial area along with shrimp industry increase the importance of the airport for fast travel of local and foreign people.

State minister for civil aviation and tourism Md Mahbub Ali said the decision of the government was to do the project on PPP. Tenders were also called for. One also participated. We did not find the terms given by him effective. Awami League government will build Khanjahan Ali Airport after the current economic crisis is over.

Air Force Flying School at Bogura: Despite the potential, commercial aircraft have not flown in Bogura for 27 years. In November 2021, a four-member delegation visited the commercial flight, but there has been no news of the aircraft flying.

In 1987, the first discussions for the construction of an airport in Bogrua began. Then, in 1996, the construction project of Bogura Stall Airport at Erulia of Bogura Sadar Upazila was approved by ECNEC meeting. Then the work started by acquiring 110 acres of land.

In 2001, the Bogura airport was handed over to the Air Force for unknown reasons. The Air Force has been running a Flying Instructor School there. Later, attached as a radar station.

Along with the existing runway of the airport, about 100 acres of land is required for construction of another 3,000 feet runway, construction of oil reservoir, passenger and cargo handling and other facilities.

Meanwhile, a five-member team from the Private Aviation Authority visited Bogura Airport on November 15, 2021, regarding the commercial launch of the airport at Bogura. However, there is no discussion about the opening of the airport.

Saiful Islam, Deputy Commissioner of Bogura said that there is a need to open the airport in here. As Bogura is a commercial area, if the airport can be opened soon, the area will go ahead economically.

No plane landed in Cumilla for 47 years: More than 1.5 lakh legal expatriates of Cumilla send maximum remittances to the country. Export Processing Zone-EPZ adjacent to Airport. Foreign investors would have been attracted if the air links were open. With more expatriates, the airport quickly became a profitable enterprise.

In 1940, Cumilla Airport was established near Newra-Dhulipara during the Second World War. Till 1966, the airport was used by the army on internal routes of the country. Since then, this airport has been opened to public. Until 1976, airplanes flew to this port.

The airport's runway of 77 acres of land is using for vehicle training. Most of the area is covered with grass. According to the concerned authorities, the airport can be functional with only 30 crores of renovation.

If the airport is operational, the adjacent Cumilla EPZ will attract more foreign investment, providing employment to a large number of people. The airport now serves as signaling for international routes. 35 to 40 aircraft use this signal every day. India's domestic routes are the most frequented.

Flights to Agartala Airport operate on this route. Besides, there are flights from Bangkok, Singapore. This airport earns 30-40 lakhs per month from signaling. There is no hassle of land acquisition to start the airport. Manpower required for runway carpeting, fire service and air traffic control tower. At present, there are 20 manpower in this port.

Cumilla Airport Manager Touhidul Islam said that most of the airport's machines are operational. By spending Tk 20-25 crores, the operation of flights can be started at this port.

Ishwardi navigation equipment becoming useless: The airport established at Ishwardi in Pabna during British rule was first closed in 1987 due to various pretexts including losses. The airport was re-opened in 1994 after renovation at a cost of about tk 4 crore.

After a few days of air traffic, Ishwardi Airport was announced to be closed again on November 3, 1996 due to losses. After 17 years in 2013, United Airways started operating flights from Ishwardi Airport. The airport was closed again on May 29, 2014 after operating for six months and 11 days.

However, although helicopters and Air Force training aircraft sometimes take off at Ishwardi Airport, commercial flights are closed.

Shamshernagar Airport abandoned for 50 years: Shamshernagar Airport in Kamalganj Upazila of Moulvibazar is now abandoned. The airport was not operational even after 50 years of independence.

In 2016, the then Aviation Minister Rashed Khan Menon announced the reopening of the airport. Then many new buildings were built around the airport. The price of the place has also increased several times. Even after six years of that declaration, no effective initiative has been seen.

In 1945, the British government acquired 622 acres of Shamshernagar tea plantation land for operations in Japan, Burma (Myanmar), Malaysia and Indonesia and built this airport. The airport has a 6,000 feet long and 75 feet wide runway.

With a wide runway, wide range, advanced transport system and infrastructure facilities, the airport used to fly till the pre-independence period. Later passenger flights were stopped.

In 1975, an air force training unit was opened at Shamshernagar Airport. Since then, the Air Force has been flying training planes and helicopters as needed. At present, huge agricultural farms have been developed using the waste land of the airport. Part of the runway has been renovated. BAF Shaheen College was started in 2012.

Aminul Islam, Yard Commodore of Shamshernagar Airport said, “I don't see any possibility of opening the airport till now. Initiatives were taken to reopen the airport in 2016, but so far it has not been implemented.”

Thakurgaon airport abandoned for 42 years: Thakurgaon airport has been abandoned for 42 years. 111 acres of land of this port has been turned into pasture land. The runway of the port is full of weeds. Locals are using the runway for drying and threshing crops.

It was built in 1940 on 550 acres of land. When the Pakistan government declared the airport land as Army State, Civil Aviation got 111 acres of land. The people of Thakurgaon still dream about the opening of this airport.

The airport was built by the then British government for military use. After independence the airport was renovated in 1977 for commercial use. Commercial flights were also operated at times. But the airport was closed in 1980 due to unknown reasons. The airport has been abandoned since then.

Due to lack of maintenance, the plaster of the airport building has been exposed day by day. The windows are broken. Most of the runway has been pitched. Due to lack of equipment various tools are getting damaged. If this airport opens, the people of Thakurgaon and Panchagarh will no longer have to go to Syedpur airport in a roundabout way. A few days ago Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi assured about its launch.

[The report was sent by Bagerhat representative Sheikh Ahsanul Karim, Bogura representative Abdur Rahman Tulu, Cumilla representative Mohiuddin Molla, Pabna representative Saikat Afroz Asad, Moulvibazar representative Syed Boytul Ali and Thakurgaon representative Md. Abdul Latif Litu]

@The report was published in Bengali on print and online versions of The Bangladesh Pratidin on February 11 and rewritten in English by Tanvir Raihan