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said joint civil-military operation guidelines of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) are regularly ignored at Dhaka airport.

In response, Group Capt M Kamrul Islam, director CW&IT at Air Headquarters and former executive director of HSIA, said HSIA undergoes ICAO safety inspections, audits, and certifications every two years, and improvements are ongoing.

“Each civil and military flight follows proper protocols and is controlled as per Air Traffic Control clearance,” he said, adding that the Bangladesh Air Force also conducts strict flight safety audits for every flight.

Salahuddin M Rahmatullah, former head of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Group at CAAB, criticised CAAB’s passive role in ensuring aviation safety and suggested constructing a second, independent runway at Dhaka airport.

Aviation expert and Bangladesh Monitor Editor Kazi Wahidul Alam presented the keynote, calling for the formation of a national aviation emergency task force. The body would include CAAB, BAF, disaster management agencies, emergency services, and local government.

He also proposed setting up Aviation Incident Response Zones (AIRZ) around densely populated air corridors or known approach paths of military aircraft.