First maritime airport runway in Bangladesh by 2024
Dhaka: The government is working on a project to extend the runway of Cox’s Bazar airport by reclaiming land from the sea. Once done, the new 10,700-foot runway will allow much larger aircraft to take off and land at the airport, allowing it to operate international flights.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is said to virtually inaugurate the construction work of the project on August 29.
Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh signed an agreement for the project with the Chinese joint venture of Changjiang Yichang Waterway Engineering Bureau and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation on February 9, 2021.
The project cost is estimated to be BDT 1,568.86 crore.
Project documents state, the deadline to finish construction work is May 10, 2024. Yet, a spokesperson for the contractor said they would be given additional commission if they could finish construction before November 14, 2023.
Under the agreement, the contractor will extend the existing 9,000ft runway by 1,700ft towards the Maheshkhali Channel through coastal land reclamation.
Representatives of the contractor said CYWEB-CCECC JV had mobilised personnel at the site immediately after signing the agreement with CAAB.
The detailed design and construction of temporary facilities, including a site office, road networks, jetty, and concrete batching plant had been substantially completed.
CAAB said the main construction work would begin after the Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of the project.
“The latest technology will be used to build a spectacular runway by reclaiming coastal land. It will include the installation of an airfield ground lighting system, installation of instrument landing systems, construction of safety walls and a bridge over the Bakkhali river,” a CAAB official said.
The project was approved by the government on November 4, 2018.
Md Mahbub Ali, Minister of Civil Aviation and Tourism, said various development projects were underway to turn Cox's Bazar into an international tourist destination and the airport into a global hub. The runway extension project is part of it.
“The dream is to transform Cox’s Bazar Airport into an airline hub. People can directly visit the popular tourist destination Cox’s Bazar once the extension is completed,” he said.
