Shahjalal International Airport's cutting-edge radar promises lucrative returns

Once fully operational, this radar will lower aircraft safety risks and boost government revenue, says aviation expert Kazi Wahidul Alam

After four decades, a new radar has been installed at Dhaka's Shahjalal International Airport to enhance the surveillance capacity of Bangladesh’s airspace. Although the project is only partially complete, the country's airspace is now being monitored experimentally with this radar. This modern system also covers a large area of the Bay of Bengal.

Experts say once the new radar system is fully operational, surveillance in the country’s airspace will be easier, faster, and more accurate.

It is also expected to generate significant revenue from over-flying fees.

Air Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman, the immediate past chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh, or CAAB, told bdnews24.com that about 80 to 85 percent of the radar installation work at the airport has been completed. Now that the radar has been deployed, it will take until February-March 2025 to become fully functional.

The installation of the new radar is progressing rapidly at the airport. Moreover, the ongoing work on the Air Traffic Control or ATC tower and operation building at the airport is also nearing completion.

However, more time is needed to fully benefit from this radar and navigation system. Other tasks, including automation with the radar system, should be completed by the end of this year.

The logistics supplier for the project is Thales of France, represented locally by Aeroness International Limited.

Mahbubul Anam, the director of Aeroness, told bdnews24.com that the project would be completed within the stipulated time.

He highlighted that the world's most advanced radar system, featuring facilities like Helmet, AD, SB, and multilateration, can detect the exact location of aircraft. Accurate images of the position and speed of all types of aircraft will be captured in the airspace up to 280 nautical miles from Dhaka.

PROJECT HISTORY

According to CAAB, an initiative was launched in 2005 to replace the radar installed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport that has been in place since 1980.

In 2012, a company proposed an initial investment of Tk 3.3 billion to install radars under a public-private partnership or PPP model.

In September 2013, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the project for implementation under PPP.

Following the approval, four companies participated in the project tender in 2015.

Initially, CAAB chose Karim Associates as the contractor. However, due to controversies and irregularities surrounding the firm, the initiative was ultimately cancelled.

Later, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina decided to pursue a government-to-government or G2G arrangement to install the radars after discussing the matter with French President Emmanuel Macron.

In April 2021, the government approved a project titled "Installation of RADAR including CNS-ATM (Communication Navigation and Surveillance – Air Traffic Management) System” at Shahjalal International Airport.

The Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase endorsed the project on Jun 8, 2021, with an estimated cost of approximately Tk 7.3 billion. This funding is being provided from CAAB's resources.

In October 2021, CAAB signed an agreement with the French company Thales to execute the project.

According to the agreement, the radar installation is slated for completion within the next three years. CAAB officials will receive training from Thales to operate this advanced radar system.

BENEFITS OF THE MODERN RADAR SYSTEM

Experts say that with the full operation of the airport's modern radar system, aircraft safety will improve. Fees could also be levied on aircraft using Bangladesh's airspace without landing, benefiting the country financially.

CAAB data indicates limitations in monitoring parts of the Bay of Bengal and the entire national airspace due to the outdated 44-year-old radar and navigation system.

This hinders the full collection of over-flying fees, which according to International Civil Aviation Organization rules, amount to about $500 per use of airspace.

Flightradar24, an aviation traffic monitoring app, reports that currently, 90 to 100 domestic flights traverse Bangladesh's airspace daily, known in aviation terms as overfly. The number of flights to India is steadily increasing.

Flights to Kolkata, Shillong, Manipur (Imphal Airport), Guwahati, and Agartala utilise Bangladesh's airspace, significantly reducing travel time. Without using Bangladesh's airspace, these flights would take two to three times longer to reach their destinations.

The distance by road from Kolkata to Guwahati via Gangtok, Shillong, and Assam is about 1,018 kilometres, requiring approximately two and a half hours of travel time. However, by utilising Bangladesh's airspace, Indian aircraft can reach their destinations in just one and a half hours.

Traversing through Bangladesh reduces their airspace distance to 519km. Currently, SpiceJet operates three daily flights, IndiGo Air ten, Air India seven, Vistara five, Go First Airlines four, and AirAsia India two daily flights on this route.

The distance from Kolkata to Agartala in India is 1,547km. However, by using Bangladesh's airspace, this distance is reduced to 330km. Seven flights by IndiGo Air and two by Air India operate daily on this route.

Similarly, Air India operates eight daily flights from Kolkata to Imphal, while IndiGo Air operates seven, and AirAsia India operates two. Instead of covering the full route of 1,507km, these flights travel only 620km by utilising Bangladesh's airspace.

The country has suffered financial losses and security risks due to the prolonged absence of a fully operational radar system.

CAAB ex-chairman Mafidur said: "Although it will take time for the radar to become fully functional, the data is already in use. A radar is not being installed only in Dhaka; the one in Chattogram is also being modernised.”

He said communication sensors have been installed at airports nationwide, aiming to enhance flight safety and boost revenue. These sensors facilitate both communication and surveillance.

"Each radar operates in two modes. While the old radar relied solely on primary mode, this new radar supports secondary mode as well. This upgrade enables airports to monitor air traffic and manage take-offs and landings from any location, automating the entire surveillance and control system.

"The steel structure for the radar tower was imported from France, and construction of the ATC tower and operation building is complete. However, the radar tower has not yet been handed over to CAAB. It will take more time to fully comprehend the entire project."

Air Commodore AKM Ziaul Haque, a CAAB member responsible for air traffic management, said: "We have implemented a comprehensive system, not just a radar. The radar installation has been fully completed, and it is scheduled to be transferred to CAAB around February or March next year."

ENHANCING AVIATION SECURITY

Air traffic controllers have to struggle to monitor the air with old radar.

Moreover, the Sundarbans, some areas of the Chattogram Hill Tracts and the vast new areas of the Bay of Bengal under Bangladesh's jurisdiction were beyond its monitoring capability, leaving Bangladesh unaware of aircraft movements over these zones.

The trend of monitoring other countries with drones is increasing all over the world. As the radar at Shahjalal airport was of old technology, no aircraft or drone flying low in the country's airspace could be detected.

Experts believe the security of the country was also at risk. In such a reality, the latest radar of French manufacturer Thales has been installed.

Kazi Wahidul Alam, a former Biman Bangladesh Airlines board member and aviation expert, told bdnews24.com: "The current radar in the country is very old. As technology has updated, so has the scope of our airspace... It's a good decision (to install a new radar).

"Once fully operational, this radar will mitigate security risks in aircraft movements while enhancing government revenue through expanded surveillance capabilities."

Aviation expert ATM Nazrul Islam said, "The installation of this new radar will significantly enhance our safety measures and ensure greater aircraft safety. Information will be more precise and reliable than ever before, with the capability to provide both primary and secondary data unlike the previous radar."

However, he recommended upgrading the Instrument Landing System or ILS at the airport from Category 1 to Category 2 to fully leverage the radar's benefits during landings.

[Writing in English by Arshi Fatiha Quazi; editing by Osham-ul-Sufian Talukder]