As Bangladesh aspires to be a regional aviation hub by sturdy air connectivity utilising its potential emanating from its geographic location, sector insiders assume it’s not an not possible dream however requires huge funding and strategic planning.Â
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina pressured the necessity for making ready a roadmap geared toward making Bangladesh an aviation hub within the area.
On the first-ever Bangladesh Aviation Summit in March this 12 months, she mentioned her authorities has undertaken a number of measures within the final decade, together with plenty of tasks to improve airports, airport safety and floor dealing with to help the event of an aviation hub.
The nation is presently implementing varied airport improvement tasks, price round Tk32,605 crore, together with the third terminal at Hazrat Shahjalal Worldwide Airport, Dhaka.
When India is making ready itself to turn into a world aviation hub by strengthening airport infrastructure and growing the variety of fleets, trade insiders right here assume Bangladesh lags far behind its neighbour in all indicators.
The Indian authorities is already in superior negotiations with just a few Indian carriers and an airport to pursue its objective of making a hub.Â
Indian Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia lately praised Air India, Vistara, SpiceJet and different Indian carriers for ordering extra wide-bodied plane that may allow them to undertake flights above eight hours.
However Bangladeshi airways presently have solely 45 plane and may have 15 extra at greatest this 12 months, based on the fleet growth plan.
In addition to, India is only one airport in need of doubling its airport capability to 148 from simply 74 in FY2013-14, Bangladesh is stagnant with its eight operational airports within the final decade.
The nation couldn’t even reopen the six closed home airports that aren’t in business operation as a result of inadequate infrastructure for takeoff and touchdown of aeroplanes.
These airfields – positioned in Ishwardi, Shamshernagar, Thakurgaon, Bogura, Lalmonirhat and Cumilla – had been constructed within the British period and noticed business operations in the course of the Pakistan interval.
Not too long ago, the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) determined to cease the development of the Khan Jahan Ali Airport in Bagerhat contemplating that it could not be worthwhile, about twenty years after enterprise the venture.Â
In addition to, the method of upgrading the Saidpur Airport to a world one is presently suspended as a result of monetary scenario although the land acquisition has already began, based on CAAB sources.
“It is advisable to have strategic planning to make your station a hub,” Kazi Wahidul Alam, former board member of Biman Bangladesh Airways, and the editor of the journey journal Bangladesh Monitor, advised The Enterprise Normal.
“We have no idea what number of plane Biman will run subsequent 12 months. We have no fleet planning, we’re shopping for plane one or two at a time after we can, whereas others are shopping for tons of of planes,” he mentioned.
“We are going to by no means turn into a hub with this development plan. The truth is, we’re not prepared,” Wahidul Alam mentioned, including, “We do not have the sort of high quality, planning and monetary skill. We have to be prepared. You may’t turn into a hub solely with a 3rd terminal. A 3rd terminal will improve passenger consolation however not operational services.”
Stating that there needs to be an “open-air sky coverage”, he opined that if any nation’s airline desires to function flights right here, they need to be given the chance. For instance, Dubai, Singapore, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur are actually aviation hubs, the place there is no such thing as a restriction on the flight operations of any airline in these hubs.
“We management the frequency, arrival and departure of international airways to guard our nationwide service right here. We do not wish to let everybody come,” he added.
Figuring out funding as a key problem to changing into an aviation hub, CAAB Chairman Air-Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman mentioned, “Attributable to Covid-19, CAAB couldn’t begin the event work at Saidpur airport. It will require Tk5,000 crore which the federal government can not afford proper now. So the precedence has been shifted elsewhere.”
“We’re additionally aiming to construct the capability of Chattogram Airport. Even to make Cox’s Bazar Airport worldwide, CAAB requires an enormous amount of cash which is a problem to handle,” he added.
He additional talked about CAAB is planning to assemble one other runway at Dhaka Airport. Nevertheless, there’s not sufficient land to make a number of runways on the airport, which in any other case is essential to accommodate extra flights.
He mentioned that if we get all of the help together with the large funding by formulating a strategic plan, it’s fairly doable to make Bangladesh an aviation hub inside 5 years. Â
An airline hub or hub airport is the title given to the airport that airways use outdoors their headquarters. The hub can also be used as a time period that expresses the connectivity of an airport to different airports. And the extra space an airport offers entry to, the upper the flight frequency is and the larger the hub.
Right this moment, identical to the airways, airports are additionally competing amongst themselves. That is why they improve the variety of connections and compete to turn into higher hub.
“Hub merely means extra air connectivity. And if we will be certain that, the motion of home and international airways will improve and we are going to get numerous income,” ATM Nazrul Islam, an aviation skilled and in addition the managing director of United Airways, advised The Enterprise Normal.Â
“We aren’t but heading in the right direction to turn into a hub. However we will put together. Simply because it must be ready politically, the native airways have to organize to extend their energy,” he added.
Presently, native airways occupy solely 25% of the entire market share whereas the remainder belongs to the 32 international carriers working in Bangladesh.
Nazrul Islam mentioned that there’s a want for a sound coverage. “In comparison with different international locations, the worth of our aviation gas is excessive. Our floor dealing with fees and working prices are excessive. We can not carry in additional international airways with these bills.”
The potentialsÂ
CAAB Chairman Mafidur Rahman mentioned all South Asian international locations might be reached inside two hours from Bangladesh.
In addition to, any nation in Asia might be reached in 4 hours and all European international locations in about six hours. Therefore, Bangladesh has the potential to turn into an aviation hub, based on CAAB Chairman.
13 million of the entire 170 million inhabitants of Bangladesh reside overseas whereas 2 lakh 50 thousand foreigners keep within the nation. These segments might be nice sources of passengers. “Presently, we deal with 80 lakh passengers a 12 months. If we will seize the aforementioned diaspora, we will improve the passenger quantity to 2 crores,” claimed CAAB Chairman.
Bangladesh’s airports dealt with 90.63 lakh worldwide passengers final 12 months, up 133% from 38.83 lakh in 2021, based on CAAB. “This isn’t a foul quantity, contemplating that the coronavirus pandemic got here in the way in which and lowered air journey enormously. Nevertheless, after the disaster, the nation shortly regained its tempo to restoration,” CAAB Chairman famous.
The nation’s whole cargo dealing with capability is 285 thousand metric tons per 12 months.
In 2019, Bangladesh carried 140 thousand metric tons of cargo, 221 thousand metric tons in 2020 and 261 thousand metric tons in 2021, close to its full capability.
After the institution of Terminal 3 at Dhaka Airport, the nation will be capable of improve the cargo capability thrice to nearly 9,000 metric tons a 12 months, based on the CAAB evaluation. Â
The upgradation work of eight business airports includes developing a 3rd terminal at Hazrat Shahjalal Worldwide Airport (HSIA), laying the nation’s longest runway in Cox’s Bazar, increasing and strengthening the runways at six airports, growing the cargo dealing with capacities, and enhancing primary facilities.
The eight airports had been being upgraded below 15 tasks.
“If Singapore and Dubai, international locations with a really small inhabitants, can turn into the aviation hub of the world in 5 a long time from a really backward background, why cannot Bangladesh turn into a regional hub with a inhabitants of 170 million and an advantageous geographical place in East, Southeast Asia and South Asia,” Mofizur Rahman, basic secretary of Aviation Operators’ Affiliation Bangladesh (AOAB) and MD of Novo Air, advised TBS.
Which routes would join if Bangladesh turns into a hub?
US-Bangla Airline CEO Captain Lutfor Rahman advised TBS, “Once I say regional hub, it’s mainly quick haul distance. Quick haul is taken into account as much as round 4 to 6 hours. So it falls inside quick haul as much as six hours distance from Dhaka.”
For instance, he mentioned, “There’s a site visitors move between Hanoi and Dhaka. And there’s a Dhaka-Jeddah site visitors move. However nobody in Vietnam or Saudi Arabia desires to function a full-fledged direct flight between Hanoi and Jeddah. As a result of it’s not viable.”
“However every time I am right here as a hub I can leverage that community. Meaning I can end a distance in 4 hours. So this chance is open for us,” he added.
Aviation skilled Nazrul Islam believes that if Saidpur Airport might be transformed into a world airport, it may well join at the very least 4 international locations.
In keeping with airport data, it takes 30 to 50 minutes by air to go from Saidpur to the closest airports of Nepal, Bhutan and 7 states of India’s Northeast often called Seven Sisters.
In February 2020, Nepal’s International Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali and Bhutan’s Financial Affairs Secretary Karma Tshering mentioned the utilisation of Saidpur Airport throughout their go to to Bangladesh in 2022.
US-Bangla Airline CEO Captain Lutfor Rahman mentioned, “From our place, the concept of ​​a hub will not be unreasonable. With correct planning, we will turn into a regional hub at the very least inside three years.”
