Bangladesh Airports and Aviation

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Dhaka Zia International Airport

Zia International Airport is the largest airport in Bangladesh. It started operation in 1981, and was named after Bangladesh's former president, Ziaur Rahman. It is the hub of Biman Bangladesh Airlines.

Nearly 52% of the country's international and domestic arrivals and departures occur through Zia Airport, while country's second largest international airport at Chittagong handles about 17% of the passengers. About 3.8 million international and 0.8 million domestic passengers and 105,000 tons of freight and mail annually pass through Zia International Airport.

Zia Airport has terminal buildings, hangars, technical areas, a freight village (warehouse), and other modern equipment for handling aircraft. It connects almost all the major cities of the world with Bangladesh.

Outside View of The Airport Terminal Building



















Aerial View of the Cargo Area




























Inside the terminal building





































Duty Free Area






V.I.P. Section of the Airport

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Chittagong Shah Amanat International Airport

Shah Amanat International Airport serves Bangladesh's southeastern port city of Chittagong. Flights from the airport chiefly serve South Asia and the Middle East. Airlines serving Shah Amanat include Biman Bangladesh, GMG Airlines, Phuket Airlines, Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways.


Terminal Building











Inside the Terminal Building

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Sylhet Osmani International Airport

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Jessore Airport

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Renovation of Cox's Bazar Airport runway starts

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism, announced the government's intention to develop Cox's Bazar as one of the top tourist spots. The State Minister was speaking as the chief guest on the occasion of the inauguration of full-fledged renovation work and setting up of lighting system at the Cox's Bazar Airport runway on February 23. He gave directives to the concerned officials to send specialist team to the Sonadia Island near Cox's Bazar to work out a plan for the development of tourism.
Besides, he announced to construction of an exclusive zone for foreign tourists at Jhaubithi along the seashore adjacent to the Parjatan Corporation's Hotel Shaibal. The 23.65 crore taka project will be implemented to give a layer of asphalt on the 6,775 feet long and 90 feet wide runway and introduction of the lighting system to enhance tourism facilities and to make the shrimp fry transportation smoother. The project is expected to be completed by the end of July. Once the project is implemented a F-28 aircraft can take off and land with passengers and goods in its full capacity at the airport.
At present Biman can carry only 28 passengers to and from Cox's Bazar. When the work is over, a middle-sized international airliner can also land at the airport, Chief Engineer of Civil Avia-tion Md Ansar Ali said. The airport has never ever experienced any sort of full-fledged renovation work since it came into being in 1956 as a domestic airport. At present, flights of the Biman and cargo flights carrying shrimp fries are to take off and land at the airport with much risk. Air Commodore AKM Harun Chowdhury, Chairman, Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB), chaired the function organised on the occasion of repair works while Salahuddin Ahmed, State Minister for Communications, was present as the special guest.
Chief Engineer of the Civil Aviation Ansar Ali said the cost of the runway layering was estimated at Tk 16 crore and nine lakh while the introduction of the lighting system at Tk seven crore and five lakh. Besides, new control tower of the airport and fire service stations will also be constructed. The renovation work will start during the current month of February.

http://www.bangladeshmonitor.net/avi...p?recordID=330

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GMG starts daily flights to Cox's Bazar
March 01, 2006
Dhaka : GMG Airlines is operating seven days a week to Cox's Bazar - three days direct from Dhaka and four days via Chittagong from February 22. The inaugural direct flight departed Dhaka at 1210 hours on February 22. Coincidentally State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir travelled from Dhaka to Cox's Bazar on this flight with other distinguished guests.
Cox's Bazar, which is famous for it's magnificent sea beach, is fast becoming the most preferred tourist spot of Bangladesh. Recent years have seen unprecedented increase in tourism related activities attracting large number of visitors both from home and abroad. Tickets for travel to Cox's Bazar can be purchased from local travel agents or any of the sales offices of GMG Airlines.

http://www.bangladeshmonitor.net/avi...p?recordID=329

[Zaki]

Nice work Tmac, great collection. Didn't know sylhet had an international airport.

[Bertez]

Awesome pics.....Zia has some interesting architecture

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Air Asia set to stir country’s aviation scene

Dhaka : The arrival of Kamaruddin Meranun, Chief Group Deputy CEO of AirAsia Group, in the city was almost unannounced, but when Air Asia starts services to Dhaka and within destinations in Bangladesh it is sure to cause a stir in the country’s aviation scene. Kamaruddin and four of his friends bought a failing full service Malaysian carrier and turned it into a profitable budget airline which has become a significant player in the industry and been imitated by national carriers along with a host of new low-cost entrants. It is now southeast Asia's biggest low-cost carrier in terms of fleet size and derives much of its business within Malaysia. It also operates in Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Macau and China.
Kamaruddin came to Bangladesh at the invitation of the East West Air Lines Ltd., a sister concern of Orion Group, one of the largest business conglomerates in the country, to explore the possibilities of establishing a regional airline. “At the initial stage, East West Air Lines plans to starts regional flights to and from Dhaka serving Kolkata, New Delhi, Kathmandu, Yangon and Singapore. It also has plans to operate flights from Chittagong and Sylhet,” said K Mojibul Hoq, Executive President of Orion Group while addressing a press briefing at Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre. Captain Chin Nyok San, Executive Vice President, Air Asia and Salman Obaidul Karim, Managing Director, Orion Group were also present at the press briefing. “East West Air Lines has already undertaken the necessary steps in this regard, obtaining Provisional Air Transport Operating License (PATOL) to operate domestic and international flights.”
“Under the open sky policy of the government, the initiatives taken by East West Air Lines for direct investment and technology transfer will be a great leap forward for the development of the aviation sector in Bangladesh,” said Mojibul Hoq. Kamaruddin said his low cost airline started with only two Boeing B737-300s in December 2001 and now has 39 aircraft in its fleet flying to 64 domestic and international destinations. Two Airbus A320s are joining the fleet every month. To date the AirAsia Group carried over 10 million guests. “We bought the airline- founded in 1996 - only three days before September 11, 2001 and some friends told us we were mad, but since then have proved ourselves and overcome challenges like fuel price hike, SARS, Tsunami and now bird flu.”
The airline is now operating 100 flights a day from four hubs including Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru in Malaysia. Modelled on successful low fare airlines such as the US-based Southwest Airlines and Dublin-based Ryanair, AirAsia created a new aviation product in Malaysia and South Asia that revolutionised air travel providing incredibly low fares so more people could fly. “We are very disciplined. Our secret is to keep the operation as simple as possible and keep the costs low as low as 2 US cents per ASK. That’s how we are the lowest for any destination.” “We sell as much as 55 to 60 per cent - through the Internet, 34 per cent through call centres and the rest by SMS. We are ticketless in the sense that we do not have printed tickets.”
“We have applied for landing rights. We are ready to start operating as soon as we get the permission,” Kamaruddin said. “We would like to work together, expand thorough joint ventures,” he said adding he found great potentials for the low-cost model in Bangladesh. "We see huge prospects for operating flights from Bangladesh with a large number of passengers flying regularly to Malaysia, Thailand and other destinations in the region," added Kamaruddin. Asked how he promotes the airline, Kamaruddin said, “We fly musicians, giving them a few free tickets, who then do videos on us.” The airline would begin with cheap regional flights to countries in southeast Asia followed by a joint venture with East West Airlines offering domestic flights in Bangladesh, he said.

http://www.bangladeshmonitor.net/avi...p?recordID=384

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Etihad Airways to launch services to Dhaka on May 3

Dhaka : Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, will launch flights to Dhaka from May 3 "providing frequent quality air travel between Bangladesh and the Middle East." Dhaka will be Etihad Airways’ eighth destination in the Asian sub-continent, joining new and established Etihad routes to Colombo, Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Mumbai, New Delhi, and Peshawar. It will also be the 30th destination on Etihad’s rapidly expanding network, which includes the start of services to nine new destinations in 2006. Flights between Dhaka and Abu Dhabi is the direct result of Etihad Airway’s ambitious plans to link the world’s most important commercial and cultural centres and provide service to the 350,000 Bangladeshi nationals based in the UAE.
"This new Etihad service between Dhaka and Abu Dhabi will enable guests to travel in style between the two regions, strengthening further the economic and diplomatic ties between Bangladesh and the UAE," said Dr. Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saif Al Nahyan, Etihad Airways Chairman. The lights will commence with four flights a week service from May 3 and increase to five flights per week from June 5. The new service will offer a total weekly capacity of 1,465 seats, and 15 tonnes of cargo, in each direction. The route will also be serviced by some of the world’s most technologically advanced aircraft, including the modern Airbus A330-200, in a two zone – Pearl and Coral - configuration, designed to offer high standards of comfort, luxury and style. The new Dhaka route will also provide significant benefits for Etihad Crystal Cargo, the cargo division within the airline, with the recent growth in manufacturing and energy sectors in Bangladesh increasing demand on this route.
"The Dhaka route is a vital commercial and leisure route. As well as enabling Gulf-based Bangladeshi families to visit one another, the new route also opens up new business opportunities for UAE businesses to invest in Bangladesh’s growing economy," said Dr. Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saif Al Nahyan. The UAE Ambassador to Bangladesh relations, Khalfan Battal Ali Al-Mansouri, has also underlined the development of between the two countries, saying that it is important for both countries to enhance trade, investment and economic activities. Etihad Airways, twice awarded the title of the "world’s fastest growing airline," has recently taken delivery of its first purpose-built Airbus A330-200 and Boeing B717-300ER aircraft.
The new fleets are part of a record order for 29 new aircraft, to the value of US$8 billion, which are scheduled for delivery in Abu Dhabi in the next two years. Etihad Crystal Cargo offers a comprehensive range of cargo services throughout Etihad’s network, and serves its many all-cargo destinations and world-wide charters with a fleet of modern regional freighter aircraft. Etihad Holidays offers a range of innovative holiday options to 69 destinations across 23 countries. Packages include skiing, flydrives, cruises and tours. Through these exciting divisions, Etihad Airways is changing the way people see the world. Jill Errington Jill Errington, Manager Bangladesh, Etihad Airways said she was delighted to come to Bangladesh. After her retirement in 2004 she visited Bangladesh while on her way to China.
Hinting that she was an old hand in opening new routes, she said, "opening destinations is exciting," adding she had opened destinations in the countries that emerged following the breakup of former Soviet Union. Jill said she will target cross-section of travellers, promoting destinations in Middle East, Europe and across the Atlantic. Etihad will be providing convenient on ward connections to Bangladeshi travellers from Abu Dhabi. She said Bangladesh was growing as a market with growing number of people taking to the air. Facilities are expanding not only in Dhaka but also in Chittagong and Sylhet. Implementation of BSP has also brought about a great change in the trade, she added.

http://www.bangladeshmonitor.net/avi...p?recordID=383

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Substantial increase in leisure, business trafic : Nabil Sultan, Emirates keen to enhance capacity to meet growing demand of Bangladesh market

Dubai : The Bangladesh air travel market is growing and Emirates is keen to provide more capacity to meet the market demand. Nabil Sultan, Senior Vice President, Commercial Oper-ations, West Asia and Indian Ocean disclosed this while talking to a group of visiting journalists from Bangladesh at his office in Dubai. He described Dhaka as an important destination for Emirates and said that his airline is currently operating nine flights a week with Boeing B777-200 aircraft with over 90 per cent load factor. Under the circumstances, Emirates have to deny passengers seat and not in a position to cater to market demand, he said. Emirates, he added, is interested to operate at least twice daily flight to meet the market demand. Nabil Sultan said that apart from more capacity, Emirates would provide convenient connections to large number of destinations including Europe and North America..
Talking about Bangladesh air traffic market Nabil said along with increase in volume, the quality has also improved. The market has registered substantial increase in leisure and business traffic, he added. Emirates, Nabil said is also interested to operate to Chittagong after meeting the demand of Dhaka market. Nabil informed the Bangladeshi journalists that Emirates is interested to include Bangladesh in its Emirates Holiday programme. The airline would initiate discussions with Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation (BPC) as well as private sector tour operators to finalise arrangement in this regard. He requested BPC to participate in next Arabian Travel Mart to promote Bangladesh in the region. Posts half-year profits Emirates sources said while airline industry is reeling under pressure of high fuel prices, Emirate has been able to soften the impact through Strong Revenue Growth and Efficiency Drives. The airline has announced net profits of Dhs 922 million (US$251 million) for the first six months of the financial year 2005-06.( Ist April to 30th September).
Emirates' Chairman, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed AI-Maktoum, said: "Emirates has delivered an excellent half-year result despite the fact that fuel cost rose 84 per cent compared to the first six months of our last financial year. This robust half-year performance reflects strong revenue growth, and it also demonstrates the company's resilience and adaptability to new challenges in the operating environment." Emirates' operating revenue of Dhs 10.4 billion ($2.84 billion) for the half-year represented a strong growth of 28 per cent vs. revenue of Dhs 8.2 billion ($2.22 billion) during the same period last year. Seat factor improved by 2.6 percentage points to 76 per cent during the period, and passengers carried rose 15 per cent to 6.98 million, compared to 6.05 million for the first half-year of 2004-05. Seat capacity also increased by 16 per cent vs. the same period last year. Emirates SkyCargo's revenue posted a healthy growth of 33 per cent to Dhs 2.1 billion, with cargo tonnage rising by 20 per cent to 482,643 tonnes, compared with 404,305 tonnes for the same period last year. Emirates now operates seven all-cargo freighters six Boeing B747s and one A310-300. Financially self-sustained and unprotected, Emirates is one of the fastest growing and most profitable airlines in the world.
Since January 2005, Emirates has introduced new passenger services to the Seychelles, Seoul, and Alexandria; and it also increased the frequency of passenger services to some 20 destinations around its network. Orders for more B777 aircraft In November 2005 Emirates Airline announced firm orders for 42 Boeing B777 aircraft, to be powered by GE90 jet engines, in a deal worth Dhs 35.7 billion (US$9.7 billion) at list prices. This is the largest-ever order for the Boeing B777 family of aircraft and consists of: 24 Boeing B777-300ERs, 10 B777-20OLR Worldliners and eight B777 Freighters, with the first aircraft scheduled for delivery in 2007. In addition, Emirates will have purchase rights for 20 more B777 aircraft. The announcement was made by Emirates' Chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktourn and Jim McNerney, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Boeing Com-pany, on the opening day of Dubai 2005 - the 9h Inter-national Aerospace Exhibition. Sheikh Ahmed said: "We are investing in more new aircraft to meet the escalating demand for Emirates' services from our customers across the globe. This new order will support the airline's growth plans, and enhance our fleet's range and versatility."
Dubai-based Emirates is one of the world's fastest growing international airlines, and the second most profitable. Independent and financially self-sustained, Emirates operates an all wide-bodied fleet of 83 aircraft to over 77 cities in 54 countries. World Cup tickets Meanwhile, good news for football fans planning to catch some thrilling World Cup action live in Germany. Emirates, an Official Partner of the FIFA World Cup 2006, is offering complimentary match tickets for fans who want to experience World Cup fever firsthand.
The airline’s newly-launched Emirates FIFA World Cup 2006 Offers entitle football aficionados to a complimentary ticket to any of the World Cup matches including the finals, subject to ticket availability. The package also includes a return air ticket to Germany (Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich or Dusseldorf), hotel accommodation for two nights, airport and airline taxes and surcharges, taxes and service fees. Emirates is the first airline ever to partner with FIFA and one can immediately see the benefits that having such a partner brings to the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Other than promoting the event globally through their marketing activities, Emirates also has the ability to fly football fans into its four destinations in Germany from all over the world via their Dubai hub, and will bring many thousands of visitors to the tournament. The Emirates FIFA World Cup 2006 Offers is valid from June 9 to July 9, 2006.

http://www.bangladeshmonitor.net/avi...p?recordID=382

[Tmac]

inside ZIA....



A Qatar Airways flight just landed...

[hkskyline]

Bangladesh airline to sue US for barring aircraft landing
17 May 2006
The Press Trust of India Limited

Dhaka, May 17 (PTI) Bangladesh's national carrier Biman will sue US authorities for barring one of its aircrafts from landing at JFK Airport in New York this week, officials said today.

The DC-10 aircraft was forced to land at Montreal due to fuel shortage and had to keep passengers in hotel as well as arranging their onward journeys causing huge losses to the cash-strapped airline, the officials said.

Biman's Managing Director M A Momen told reporters that the Bangladesh mission in Washington has been asked to take legal action against the US authorities for "damaging the image of the airlines, putting the lives of crew and passengers in risk, and causing financial loss to the carrier." "We will of course go for legal action for compensation," he said.

The US Federal Aviation Administration sent a letter to Biman yesterday saying that barring landing of the aircraft was a mistake, which they deeply regretted.

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Govt's bid to finalise SAIA's handover to Thai Airways

CHITTAGONG, May 31:–The government is expected to finalize the decision of handing over Shah Amanat International Airport (SAIA) in Chittagong to Thai Airways by next couple of days.

On the other hand, Mayor of Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) Alhajj ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury had been expressing his disagreement over the issue since the bid of handing over the airport to Thai Airways.

A top official of Bangladesh Biman told The Bangladesh Observer preferring anonymity that he (Mayor) might take it as a political issue, which may create problems.

State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has already given green signal about the decision to the newsmen.

He, however, told the reporters that surprises were waiting for all regarding the issue. He on Tuesday told the reporters at his office to wait and see.

He also said that that Bangladesh Biman and Thai Airways had held fruitful talks very recently on the issue.

Sources said that a meeting in this regard would be held tomorrow (Thursday) where the issue will be discussed widely.

Earlier, on December 01, 2005 the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) and the Thai Airways International signed a contract in Dhaka to manage Shah Amanat International Airport.

Following receiving approval from the Cabinet on June 23, 2004, Thai Airways International was awarded the bid at a net amount of Taka 529 million to manage the Shah Amanat International Airport for a period of 10 years.

As per the agreement, Thai Airways will operate, maintain, and manage the airport terminal building, ramp handling, cargo handling, airport security and maintenance.

Thai Airways will also be responsible for collecting fees for airport landing charges, security charges, embarkation fees, as well as ground handling related fees on behalf of the CAAB, coordinating with other air carriers operating to and from the airport in Chittagong.

http://www.bangladesh-web.com/news/v...00000000110000

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Etihad to up Dhaka-Abu Dhabi flights to five per week

Etihad Airways, the national flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates, will increase its flight frequency on Dhaka-Abu Dhabi route to five days a week from the existing four from July 9.

The airline, which started operations in Dhaka on May 4 this year with four weekly flights, will operate on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, says a press release.

"Dhaka is an important route on the Etihad Airways network and we look forward to continued expansion and offering a daily schedule to serve the Bangladeshi communities at home and abroad," says Jill Errington, area manager of the airline.

The introduction of extra service will offer agents and guests more capacity with increased connections to the Middle East and the growing number of worldwide destinations, the release added.

http://www.thedailystar.net/2006/07/03/d60703051058.htm

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Chittagong Shah Amanat International Airport

[hkskyline]

Biman Bangladesh Financial Woes - Cutting International Routes
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=378869

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Guwahati-Dhaka air services in the offing

The North-eastern states of India may soon look forward to get connected with the Bangladesh capital city Dhaka, by air. Bangladesh government in its preliminary response has nodded to a joint proposal by the industrialists and traders of both the countries for initiating air services between Guwahati and Dhaka.

The proposal for connecting the North-east hub with the neighbouring country capital came up first in the joint trade group meeting between the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and its Bangladesh counterpart FBCCI, held in Dhaka early this year.

Later in June this year, during the second FICCI-FBCCI meeting that took place in Kolkata, the matter of Guwahati-Dhaka air service resurfaced with both the parties insisting on its materialisation.

“Bangladesh government doesn’t have any problem in giving necessary clearance for the initiation of the air services between Guwahati and Dhaka. But so far as providing the services are concerned, things will solely depend on the private airlines as Biman, the official airlines of Bangladesh, is already overstressed,” said Mr Mohammad Imran, the deputy High Commissioner of Bangladesh in Kolkata.

Mr Imran added, if any of the private airlines from India is interested to launch services in the proposed route, it was most welcome to approach the Bangladesh government. However, the Bangladesh deputy High Commissioner made it clear, till now no such specific proposal has come up be it from the private airlines from Bangladesh or India.

While India has got a few well-established private players in the aviation sector, GMG Airlines happens to be the lone private airlines from Bangladesh. Hence, the onus of launching air services between Guwahati and Dhaka will rest much upon the Indian aviation industry.

“This is a new untested route altogether, hence, it is in all likelihood that before jumping into a venture, any private air service provider will consider its commercial viability,” Mr Imran added.

As of now, the existing air services between India and Bangladesh are been maintained by regular flights from Delhi and Kolkata to Dhaka and Chittagong.

http://www.thestatesman.net/page.new...ss=1&id=129386

[Tmac]

Qatar Airways to operate more flights from Bangladesh

The government is likely to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Qatar Airways, on operation of more flights from Bangladesh to ease the pressure of the Middle East-bound local passengers.

Meanwhile, Biman Bangladesh Airlines held Monday a meeting to discuss payment of arrears to the different national and international organisations in full or partly.

According to a source close to the Biman, under the proposed agreement Qatar Airlines will get the opportunity to operate three more flights from Chittagong Shah Amanat International Airport.

A delegation, led by the minister of Civil Aviation and Tourism, is leaving Dhaka today (Tuesday) for Doha to discuss the MoU with Qatar Airways, said a source.

Meanwhile, a leader of the Bangladesh Airlines Pilots Association (BAPA), requesting for anonymity, said this will be a very important decision for the Biman allowing Qatar Airways to operate more flights, as most of the Middle East-bound passengers of Biman come from the Chittagong region.

Citing the route as profitable for Biman, he said if the government, in fact, allows Qatar Airways, this will further pose a threat to the survival of Biman. Besides, other airline operators in Bangladesh might also demand the same facilities.

Currently, Qatar Airways operates six flights from Dhaka against the Bangladesh Biman's operation of two flights from Doha, he mentioned.
Meanwhile, a foreign ministry source said if Qatar Airways is allowed to operate more flights from here, this will help send more Bangladeshi manpower to Qatar.

Around 98,105 Bangladeshis have now been employed in Qatar, the foreign ministry source said adding if the airlines is allowed to operate more flights, the country's manpower export will be invariably increased undoubtedly.

However, another source said the government is now planning to offer 40 per cent of equity of Biman to foreign airlines aiming to transfer its management.
A further nine per cent of the equity of the Biman will go its employees, added the source.

Talking to a group of journalists, Enam Ahmed Chowdhury, Chairman of the Privatisation Commission, on September 17 said if the government policy remained unchanged for one and a half years, the bidding for Biman's privatisation could be possible.

http://www.financialexpress-bd.com/i...=38102&spcl=no