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Open sky for Ctg airport likely

Sohel Parvez
The government considers opening up Chittagong Shah Amanat International Airport to international flights, aiming to make it a regional hub in future.
“Adoption of an open sky policy for the Chittagong airport is now under our active consideration. We want that it turns a major aviation hub in South Asia,” Hedayetullah Al Mamoon, civil aviation and tourism secretary, told The Daily Star yesterday.
He said a feasibility study is underway to evaluate the policy.
He expects that such a policy will have a positive impact on trade and commerce at the port city besides attracting foreign tourists to visit the world's longest unbroken sea beach in Cox's Bazar.
The airport in Chittagong, which was modernised earlier this decade at a cost of more than Tk 500 crore, has a capacity to handle
as many as 3 million passengers and nearly 6,000 tonnes of cargo a year, as its runway allows wide bodied aircraft to land.
But much of its potential remains untapped due to scanty air movement at the port city.
Analysts linked the underutilisation of the airport to a lack of infrastructure and poor air traffic, which discourages airlines to fly.
They said problems with Departure Control System (DCS), refuelling, cargo handling and flight catering remain.
Domestic carriers -- Biman, GMG, United -- and two foreign airlines -Air Arabia and Oman Air -- are presently operating flights from the airport. Thai Airways once began flights from the port city but discontinued operations in 2008.
Officials of the Civil Aviation Authority, Bangladesh (CAAB) however said it will improve facilities to lure more airlines to use the
port.
“We will remove all the shortcomings at the airport to attract airlines. We are also receiving positive responses from airlines to operate from there," said CAAB Chairman Air Commodore Sakeb Iqbal Khan Majlis, citing the interests of carriers like Dubai based budget airline Fly Dubai to operate flights from the Chittagong airport.
He said opening up the airport for all carriers will not only help reduce pressures on Zia International Airport in Dhaka but also increase Chittagong airport's viability.
"It will attract more airlines to use the airport, as there will be no restrictions on flight operations once the open sky policy came into force,” he said.
Majlis said CAAB will draft an open sky policy for Chittagong, if the results of the feasibility study are positive.
“Opening up the Chittagong skies will help increase government revenue earnings because of an increased movement of carriers," he said.
This policy for the Chittagong airport will be effective after a final approval from the cabinet, Majlis added.
Kazi Wahidul Alam, editor of aviation and tourism fortnightly 'The Bangladesh Monitor', hailed the plan, but said the port suffers from inadequate infrastructure to lure carriers.
"It is a good move, but the government needs to develop infrastructure facilities to attract carriers," he said.
Traffic from Chittagong remains at low levels and efforts should be made to develop markets to lure airlines, said Alam. "If there are facilities, people will come to avail services.”
sohel@thedailystar.net