A proposal concerning the issue has already been sent to prime minister Sheikh Hasina, civil aviation secretary Shafique Alam Mehedi told on Monday. "The cell will be formed as soon as the prime minister approves the proposal," he said. Airport Planning & Management
The civil aviation ministry has proposed formation of a cell to speed up the construction of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib International Airport. Ministry officials preferring not to be named said that the civil aviation authorities were thinking of building the new airport close to Dhaka. It will be built on about 6,000 acres according to the sources. The civil aviation has initially selected three sites — two in Madhupur, Tangail and one in Mymensingh's Trishal. The airport will start operations with two runways at the beginning but there will be sufficient space to make a third one.
The budget for this airport, including expenses for constructing an elevated expressway between Dhaka and the airport and a monorail, has been estimated at about Tk 50 billion. If implemented, it will be the biggest project in the country. Mehedi said, "The airport will be constructed on a BOT (Build Operate Transfer) basis. The government will only provide the land." The construction is expected to be completed by 2013, he added.
In his budget speech, finance minister AMA Muhith had said that this new airport would have all the facilities to become the heart of all international fights. Hazrat Shahjalal Airport, launched in 1980 in Kumitola, is a one-runway airport on 1737 acres, but according to a master plan, it was supposed to have two runways. The World's Top 500 Airports
Many unapproved houses have been built around the airport standing in the way of building another runway. There is also considerable risk of running airport operations because of installations around the airport. The government knocked down 12 structures in 2005. Officials close to the authorities also said that hundreds of buildings of Uttara and Nikunja will be enlisted as 'risky' if authorities initiate building the second runway at Shahjalal airport.
There are now three international and five domestic airports in the country. In addition, there are seven short take-off and landing ports.
