PM Hasina: Bangladesh to become aviation gateway between the east and the west

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said that Bangladesh will be the aviation gateway and bridge between the east and the west in the future.

She said this while witnessing a presentation on the progress of the ‍‍`Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport Third Terminal Expansion‍‍` project’ at her official residence GanaBhaban,  Deputy Press Secretary Hasan Jahid Tusher told reporters.

The premier highlighted the features of building the third terminal at the airport, expanding the runway and improving the Cox‍‍`s Bazar International Airport to take the country towards prosperity by utilising the geographical advantages of Bangladesh,

Pointing out that using Cox‍‍`s Bazar Airport for refuelling will reduce the distance of international routes, she said, adding Cox‍‍`s Bazar Airport is the most important.  

“Cox‍‍`s Bazar will become a gateway just as everyone now uses Dubai as a gateway for aircraft refuelling,”she said.

She said that Cox‍‍`s Bazar will be within a short distance for refuelling on international routes and airlines won’t to go far. They can avail this facility directly from Cox‍‍`s Bazar, she added.

She mentioned that Cox‍‍`s Bazar will increase the country‍‍`s income from refuelling international flights.

The PM said that everything at the third terminal of the HSIA will be managed digitally.  

“People will be able to get international quality services quickly and easily.  Therefore, the operation and maintenance of the airport will be given to a foreign company,” she said.

Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority Bangladesh Air Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman presented the updated information of the ‍‍`Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport‍‍`s third terminal expansion‍‍` project before the PM.

The installation of radar by Thales, a French radar manufacturer, was also discussed.

PM Hasina asked the authorities to finish the installation of the radar quickly.

She said that with the installation of new radar, the income in the aviation sector will increase and good returns will come from it.  

“Because then it will be easy to track the flights passing over Bangladesh airspace and it will be easy to get various types of fees from them,” she said.

According to civil aviation sources, the project to install the new radar was taken up in October 2021 with the timeframe to complete it by June 2024.