Longer wait for a new international airport

The government is yet to determine the site to set up the proposed Bangabandhu International Airport even after a decade.

The ruling Awami League planned to construct a large international airport near Dhaka when it came to power in 2009. The government selected Mymensingh’s Trishal as the first site. Later, it chose Arial Beel in Dohar, but had to backtrack amid protests by local residents in 2011.

“A consultant has already been appointed to implement the plan. But we still couldn’t choose the site as at least 8,000 or 10,000 families will be displaced by the airport project,” said Civil Aviation and Tourism Secretary Md Mohibul Haque.

“The proposed airport needs an 8km by 5km space, which is huge. That’s why we're trying our best to evict a small number of people as far as we can. It was challenging to relocate so many families.”

The proposed airport will be able to cater to 400 passenger flights and 200 cargo flights on its three runways. The initial cost of the project was estimated at Tk 500 billion approved by the cabinet.

A team has already inspected eight new places: Keyain, Char Bilaspur, Gajaria in Munshiganj, Singair in Manikganj, Char Janajat and Rajair in Madaripur, Bhanga in Faridpur and Baghiar Beel in Gopalganj.

A consultancy firm is carrying out a feasibility study taking into account the habitats, cost of eviction and rehabilitation and land acquisition.

“The consultancy firm will submit a report soon on the sites,” Atiqul Haque, additional secretary to the civil aviation and tourism ministry, told bdnews24.com.

Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh Chairman Air Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman told bdnews24.com: “There’s no problem in constructing the airport. It is just waiting for the government’s approval.”

“We’ve done our study but nothing has been finalised.”

The CAAB signed a contract with a Japanese consultancy firm in 2016 to carry out a feasibility study on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib International Airport project.