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Air connectivity between the northern part of the country and other regions will be improved significantly as the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) has taken an initiative to renovate Bogura Airport to launch commercial flights.
It will be the third functional airport in the region after Rajshahi and Saidpur Airports.
This move could bring about major changes to the economy of the northern part of the country. In addition to revitalizing the once-neglected agricultural hub Bogura and adjacent districts, it could open up endless opportunities for domestic and foreign investors.
Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) Air Vice Marshal Md Monjur Kabir Bhuiyan told the FE that they have already taken various initiatives to renovate the airport. A delegation of the CAAB has recently visited Bogura to get a firsthand experience of the airport stalled for two decades.
The CAAB chairman said that the airport will be upgraded for commercial flights in several phases. Initially, the existing runway will be resurfaced and preserved. They aim to complete this step within three to four months or before the next monsoon season.
"We have inspected the runway, taxiway and other infrastructure of the airport. If we don't do up the runway and other facilities of the airport, they will be damaged gradually. That's why we are planning to repair the runway immediately," said the CAAB chairman.
In the second phase, the runway will be extended to 6000 feet from the length of 4,700 feet. This may take about one and a half to two years to complete. Then the commercial flights could start their operations there. In the third and final phase, the CAAB has a target to extend the runway to 10,000 feet.
Mr Monjur Kabir said CAAB also sent a proposal to the government to take measures so that the length of the runway can be increased for the landing of the commercial flights.
Although the Bogura Airport Project ended in 2000, it never opened to commercial flights due to negligence of the successive governments. Instead, the airport was handed over to the Bangladesh Air Force, which established a radar station and a military flight training centre, effectively halting commercial aviation.
However, the new CAAB chairman who assumed responsibility after the July-August uprising has planned to open the airport considering the region's growing economy.
"Economic activities in the region are increasing gradually, and once the airport becomes operational, it will put a positive impact on the local economy, tourism, transportation system, and investment," said the CAAB Chairman.
Aviation expert Kazi Wahidul Alam, also the editor of the travel magazine, Bangladesh Monitor, said, "It's a very good initiative. Many of us in the aviation sector had been demanding steps to open Bogura Airport for commercial purposes as it has a ready-made runway."
"We don't have enough destinations in the country for the operation of the private airlines. Due to a lack of a good network, domestic airlines are not able to expand. They are operating a limited scale of aircraft in the domestic destinations. As a result, they are unable to experience a large profit from the sector.
"Now, the more the network can be expanded, the more the airlines will see success. Once Bogura Airport is launched, it will not only serve Bogura but also the surrounding districts."
He suggested that the authorities should take initiatives to open other abandoned airports in the country as economic activities and commercial travels have been on the rise.
Bangladesh has three international airports in Dhaka, Chattogram and Sylhet, and five active airports for domestic operations in Rajshahi, Saidpur, Barishal, Jashore and Cox's Bazar.
Apart from these, Khan Jahan Ali Airport in Khulna is still under construction while airports in Dhaka's Tejgaon, and Moulvibazar's Shamsernagar do not have the necessary clearance for civil aviation. Airports in Thakurgaon, Pabna's Ishwardi and Cumilla have also been shut down.