78pc work of runway completed, flight operations from Dec

The 9000 ft runway of Cox’s Bazar airport is being expanded by another 1,700 feet in the north by reclaiming land of the Bay of Bengal. Seventy-eight per cent of work on the runway expansion was completed as of Wednesday afternoon. People concerned expect it will be possible to begin the operations of domestic and international flights after completing the remaining work by December.

Visiting the area, construction of the runway was seen progressing in the north of the existing runway on a vast area of sea water. Safety nets have been erected on two sides of the runway under construction by placing boulders that were brought from Malaysia. Concrete blocks were being installed on boulders in a bid to protect the runway from any damage during natural disaster or tidal surge. Consulted by foreign engineers, more than 400 workers are working day and night.

The cost of the county’s first-ever runway on the sea has been estimated at Tk 19 billion with Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh financing the entire project. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the ‘Cox’s Bazar Airport Runaway Expansion into the Sea Project’ on 28 August 2021. The runway is being expanded by reclaiming 48 hector of land from the sea. Once the expansion is complete, its length will be 10,700 feet, the largest runway of the country.

Project director Md Yunus Bhuiyan told Prothom Alo the remaining 22 per cent work of the project will be completed by next December. After that, it will be possible to operate domestic and intentional flights during day and night. Since the entire part of the expanded runway is on the sea, plane will land by touching sea water. Besides, business and trade including tourism of will flourish in Cox’s Bazar, he added.

Engineers concerned said roads are being constructed surrounding the operational area to ensure security to the airport as well as dams are being built on the seashore in line with the design of the international consultancy firm to project the runway from the impact of natural disaster, cycle and tidal surge. Precision approach lights, which are about 2,200-feet long, are being installed on the sea while Cat II AGL (aeronautical ground lighting) system is being set up on the existing runway to ensure smooth and safe take-off and landing of aircraft.

State minister for civil aviation and tourism Md Mahbub Ali visited the airport development activities. Expressing satisfaction on the progress of work, the state minister said the Cox’s Bazar airport is going to be an international airport soon. Lighting and other reaming work will be completed by December. Construction of domestic terminal building nears completion. If everything goes okay, the Cox’s Bazar airport will be inaugurated by next December, he added.

State minister Md Mahbub Ali said prime minister Sheikh Hasina is very sincere on the development of Cox’s Bazar, and for this reason, a development spree is underway in this Cox’s Bazar. Prime minister Sheikh Hasina wants to transform the Cox’s Bazar airport to an international airport, and that is why another airport will be built in Cox’s Bazar and people from different corners of the world can travel to the district directly.

According to the sources of Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh, work on 1,700-feet runway will be completed before deadline by facing various challenges including land reclamation, Covid-19 pandemic and Russia-Ukraine War. Besides, construction of the domestic terminal building is near to an end and work progress is 91 per cent. Currently, work on immigration, boarding pass and lounge is underway inside the building.

Cox’s Bazar airport manager Golam Mortaza told Prothom Alo currently, 40 flights are being operated on Dhaka-Cox’s Bazar route from this airport and 2-3 cargo planes are operated on Cox’s Bazar-Jashore route to carry shrimp fry. Once the construction of the new runway on the sea ends, new generation aircraft of various countries Myanmar, Thailand and Malaysia will take off and land easily at this airport.

*This report appeared in the online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten in English by Hasanul Banna