Thehistory of aviation in Bangladesh began withkites, the traditional heavier-than-air man-made object, that is flown by one or more people while staying on the ground. The first recorded manned flight was arranged by theDhaka Nawab Family in 1892, which resulted in the death of the flyer.
Kite flying was one of the many different forms of entertainment of the elite people ofDhaka, since theMughal period. It became a festive tradition during the period of Nayeb-e-Nazim Nawajesh Mohammad Khan in the 1740s.[1] Kite flying is still a popular pastime in Bangladesh, especially right after the monsoon.[2] In the older parts of Dhaka it is one of the most popular activities.[3] Kite painting was a specialised art form in the 18th century in Bangladesh.[4] Some kites of Bengal has been known to keep flying for three months. They were big kites tied to anchors with stout ropes.[5]
Kite flying festival had long been a major festival. TheChaitra Sankranti festival (known asShakrain or Hakrain inOld Dhaka[6]) is celebrated annually on the last day of theBengali calendar (30thChoitro, mid April). Traditionally, kite flying and boat racing have been events at the festival.[7] Combatingfighter kite flyers trying to slash each other's carefully sharpened kite-string is a major part of the competition.[8] InWest Bengal, the major kite flying festival happens on the day ofMakar Sankranti or end of winter (mid January), andVasant Panchami (late February).[9][10]
Jeanette Rumary (as "Jeanette Van Tassell") performed with Park Van Tassell when she died following the first manned flight in Bangladesh in 1892.
Jeanette "Jenny" Rummary (performing as "Jeanette Van Tassell" along with Park Van Tassel), was a youngballoonist from the United States,[11] was hired as a part of the Van Tassell Troupe by the then incumbent NawabKhwaja Ahsanullah to make a balloon ascension and parachute descent. She had made several previous parachute descents across India since October 1891. At 6.20 pm on 16 March 1892, she launched from the bank of theBuriganga River opposite from theAhsan Manzil. Ascending in the balloon, she jumped via parachute as planned to make her descent but was caught in a Casusrina tree inRamna Park. During her rescue, she fell to the ground and died two days later from her injuries. She was interred in theChristian Cemetery at Narinda,Dhaka.[12][13][14]
In August 1943, a South Asia Command was formed underAdmiral Mountbatten, including theRAF Third Tactical Air Force (Third TAF), which launched the secondBurma Campaign against theEmpire of Japan in the December that year. The Royal Indian Airforce (RIAF), Indian part of theRoyal Air Force played a crucial role by providing tactical reconnaissance and extensive close support to the army when a British Corps started advancing down the Arakan coast in January 1944.[citation needed]
In November 1943,6 Squadron and later8 Squadron were moved to Cox's Bazar.[16][17] By the end of February 1944, No 6 Squadron pilots had completed over 1,000 operational sorties, averaging 6 sorties a day per pilot, a record for the entire the Third TAF. Towards the end of March 1944,4 Squadron joined the operations when it was moved first to Feni airfield, and then to Comilla in June to replace 6 Squadron.[18] In March 1944, the squadron moved toFeni for operations against the Japanese. The role of the squadron was to provide close Air support to the XIV Army. It was from Feni that the squadron carried out its first operational sorties by providing fighter escort to Dakota, engaged in supply dropping missions in the northern Burma. From August 1944 to January 1945, No. 4 Squadron was based atCox's Bazar and carried out CAS, interdiction and tactical recce operations.[18]
In May 1944,9 Squadron was moved to Comilla after a brief spell of tactical reconnaissance duties supporting the battles ofImphal andKohima.[19] During August 1944, the two squadrons carried out intensive bombing of Japanese positions in theSangu River valley, specially for three consecutive days in Labawa to support an offensive by 81 Division to expel the Japanese from the area. By the end of December 1944,10 Squadron had also been moved into the operational area at Ramu.[citation needed] With the fall of Rangoon on 3 May 1945, the operations in Burma were reduced to mopping up of small pockets of resistance. By the end of June, most of the Royal Air forces squadrons were withdrawn, leaving only 8 Squadron to assist in the mopping up.[citation needed]
When the war was over, the colonial government decided to build theTejgaon Airport along with a landing strip atKurmitola to meet the needs of aRoyal Indian Air Force (RIAF) station inDhaka. In 1946, theMirza Ahmad Ispahani and his partners formed an airline –Orient Airways – which soon started using the airport as a civil airport.[15] Shifting its base fromKolkata toKarachi when Pakistan was born, Orient Airways startedDC-3 flights from Karachi toDhaka on 7 June 1954[dubious –discuss], forming a critical connection between the capitals of geographically separated East and West Pakistan. On 11 March 1955, Orient Airways merged with the government's proposed airline, becomingPakistan International Airlines Corporation, later rechristened asPakistan International Airlines (PIA).
2 December 1970: ACargoluxCanadair CL-44 (registered TF-LLG) crashed into farm houses nearDhaka Tejgaon Airport, killing all four crew on board and three people on the ground. The origin of the flight wasHamburg, where it was loaded with 27.5 tons of child food by theSwiss Red Cross. The cargo was intended to help flood victims in East Pakistan. While the flight was approachingDhaka Tejgaon Airport, the hydraulic gust lock system activated in flight, causing the controls to lock. The crew lost control of the aircraft and it crashed. It was speculated that the lock system had activated as hydraulic back pressure had built up caused by a malfunctioning switch valve when hydraulics were armed on descent.[25]
During the 1971 Liberation War of BangladeshIndian Air Force (IAF) and thePakistan Air Force (PAF) had fought extensive engagements in the sky over Bangladesh. The first engagement was on 22 Novemberover the Salient of Boyra in West Bengal.[26] In the process Tejgaon Airport suffered extensive damage.
Bangladesh Air Force was organised in India with the initiative of Squadron Leader Sultan Mahmud (Ex-PAF Pilot), Captain Shahabuddin Ahmed (Ex-PIA Pilot), CaptainAkram Ahmed (Ex-Plant protection Pilot) and Captain Sattar (ex-PIA Pilot) and Captain Sarfuddin (Ex-PIA Pilot). Later many Bangladeshi ex-PAF Officers joined in Bangladesh Air Force in India. Finally Bangladesh Air Force was formed in late July 1971. Indian Air Force trained these Officers July 1971 through November 1971 as fighter pilots. Bangladesh Air Force first went in action on 3 December 1971 and attacked the Chittagong-based Oil tank depot and oil tank depot was totally destroyed by that air attack. The Air attack was conducted by Capt. Akram Ahmed. The second Bangladesh Air Force attack was on 6 December 1971 at Moulovi Bazar Pakistani Army barracks under the command of Squadron Leader Sultan Mahmud, where Captain Shahabuddin Ahmed was co-pilot.[27]
Throughout 4 and 5 December, IAF concentrated in attacking the aircraft on the ground. But, it failed to cause significant damage to the PAF assets in well-dispersed andcamouflaged locations. By the evening of 5 December, the IAF changed tactics. On the morning of 6 December four MiG-21s (No. 28 Sqn), flying fromGauhati hit Tejgaon with 1000lber, scoring several hits on the runway. Kurmitola was attacked on the morning of 7 December, when Mig-21s of No. 28 Sqn again hit the runway. No. 7 Sqn was pulled out of the eastern ops on 6 December to help theIndian Army in the west. Repeated attack by MiG-21s and Hunters of No. 14 and No.28 however, kept the runway cratered.[citation needed] The IAF assault effectively grounded the PAF by 7 December, and No. 14 Squadron was taken out of the war.[28][better source needed] The IAF also bombed other airfields including the abandoned WWII airfields of Comilla, Lalmanirhat andShamsher Nagar through the war, denying their use to PAF.
On 20 August 1971Flight LieutenantMatiur Rahman attempted to pilot aT-33 trainer fromKarachi,Pakistan to India to defect from thePakistan Air Force and join the liberation movement of Bangladesh. However, Matiur could not take the plane out of Pakistani territory, as reportedly,Pilot OfficerRashid Minhas, the other pilot in the plane, forced it to crash in Thatta, a place near the Indian border.[29] Matiur was awardedBir Sreshtho and Minhas was awardedNishan-E-Haider, respectively the highest military honours in Bangladesh and Pakistan, and both has air bases named after them, respectively inJessore andKamra.[30]
The first civil flight of independent Bangladesh operated from Tejgaon Airport by Capt. A. Rahim on 1 January 1972 with aCessna 150. The first international flight from Independent Bangladesh destined to Calcutta departed on 10 January 1972. The aircraft, aDouglas DC-3 subsequently crashed, killing the aircrew.
TheBangladesh Air Force (BAF) was formed atDimapur, Nagaland, India on 28 September 1971 under the command ofAir Commodore A.K. Khandker (later Air Vice Marshal and Chief of Air Staff, Bangladesh Air Force). At that time, the nucleus of the (BAF) was formed as 'Kilo Flight' to assist the Mukti Bahini (Freedom Fighters). Initially, 'Kilo Flight' consisted of three aircraft provided by theIndian Air Force, 09 officers and 47 airmen.Squadron Leader Sultan Mahmud (retired asAir Vice Marshal and Chief of the Air Staff of BAF) was appointed as the commander of 'Kilo Flight'. After having some basic training on air to ground weapon delivery, 'Kilo Flight' successfully bombed a fuel storage in Chittagong and Narayangonj area and thus the journey of BAF had commenced. During the last phase of theBangladesh Liberation War the newly formed Bangladesh Air Force carried out 12 successful attack missions over Pakistani targets.[citation needed]
Bangladesh Naval Aviation is the Aviation wing of Bangladesh Navy. At present Bangladesh Naval Aviation is operating two Agusta Westland Helicopters from Italy and two Dornier class Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) from Germany.[31] Bangladesh Naval Aviation wing was established in 2011, when two AgustaWestland AW109 helicopters were accepted into service. Two Dornier Do 228NG maritime patrol aircraft joined the service in 2013.[31][32]
On 28 September 1977:Japan Airlines Flight 472 en route fromMumbai to Tokyo was hijacked by 5Japanese Red Army terrorists shortly after takeoff, and forced the plane to land at then Zia International Airport.[34] The terrorists' demand of $6 million and release of 6 JRA terrorists from Japanese prison was met by the Japanese Prime Minister.[35]Bangladesh Air Force was deployed to control the situation in the ground and to facilitate negotiations.[34]
18 November 1979: ABiman Bangladesh AirlinesFokker F27-200 crashed while performing a test flight. As a part of the test, astall in landing configuration was performed at 8000 feet. Both engines of the aircraft flamed out and could not be re lit, forcing the crew to land in a field nearSavar. The aircraft ran through embankments, causing the nosegear and right main gear to collapse. None of the four people on the flight died in the accident.[36]
27 June 1998: An Air Parabat flight fromIshwardi Airport crash-landed on its belly in a field near Savar due to some technical problems with the aircraft. Five crew and two passengers on board escaped unhurt.[41]
27 September 1998: A training flight on aCessna 150 of Parabat flying academy crashed, killing two trainee pilots.[41]
7 June 2002: A training flight onThe Cessna-150 (S2-AAM) of Air Parabat flying Academy crashed due to heavy strom killing its lone licensed pilot Mukhlesur Rahman Saqueeb (32), steward of Biman Bangladesh Airlines.[42]
11 July 2003: AnAir Memphis cargo flight (operated by aBoeing 707, registered 5X-AMW) bound forQueen Alia International Airport,Amman fromHazrat Shahjalal International Airport,Dhaka was forced to abort takeoff for unknown reasons. The aircraft failed to abort takeoff successfully and overran the runway of the airport by 450 meters before the nose gear collapsed and the aircraft came to rest at a marsh. None of the five crew members were killed in the incident.[44]
8 October 2004: Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight BG-601 (fromHazrat Shahjalal International Airport inDhaka toOsmani International Airport, Sylhet) carrying 79 passengers and 4 crew, operated by a Fokker F28-4000, overran the wet runway of Sylhet and ended up in a ditch. Two passengers were injured.[45]
8 June 2005: A Bangladeshi fighter trainee pilot of Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) crashed his plane into a neighbourhood on the outskirts of the capital, killing one person and injuring four others. The Chinese-made F-7 plane on a training mission came down at midday on the Uttara residential area. The pilot ejected with minor injuries just 100 yards away from the flaming wreckage. The house onto which the jet had crashed was completely destroyed, while two adjacent houses were partly damaged.[41]
1 July 2005:Biman flight BG 048 en route fromDubai skidded off runway 23 onto the grass at Shah Amanat International Airport while landing during heavy rain. The right-hand undercarriage of theMcDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 (registered S2-ADN) caught fire and the engine on the right wing separated from the aircraft, sinking into mud. Of the 201 passengers and 10 crew on board, 10 received injuries but there were no fatalities. Investigations found that the wheel-box of the aircraft went out of order. The aircraft was later written-off.[46][47]
25 May 2008:Saudia flight 810, aBoeing 747-300 (registered TF-ARS) leased fromAir Atlanta Icelandic caught fire on its no. 3 engine after landing atZia International Airport inDhaka from Medina. There were no fatalities among the 307 passengers and 19 crew on board. An investigation determined a fuel leak to be the cause of the fire.[48]
10 September 2008: A flight attendant on boardAir Arabia flight 522 bound forShah Amanat International Airport, Chittagong found a note which said there was a bomb on board the aircraft (anAirbus A320). After the aircraft landed in Chittagong, the aircraft was searched but no bomb was found. A passenger on board the flight named Nasir Uddin was found guilty of the hoax, which caused panic among passengers and had grounded the aircraft at Chittagong for two hours.[49]
1 March 2012: A fire broke out on the second floor of the terminal building ofShah Amanat International Airport,Chittagong at around 4 pm. No injuries or casualties were reported. Airport fire brigade managed to douse the flame by 6 pm. The fire had severely damaged the second floor of the terminal disabling the two jet bridges forcing airport authorities to bring out the reserve portable ones. Several flights including 4 international ones had to be delayed, grounding several aircraft at the airport and diverting a few other. As many as 2000 passengers had to wait for several hours at the parking lot for their flight.[50]
30 April 2012: ARoyal Thai Air ForceATR-72-500 aircraft of 1st Air Division/6th Wing, 603sq, (serial L16-2/52, code 60314), sustained damage in a landing accident atShahjalal International Airport, Dhaka. The aeroplane suffered a runway excursion while landing. It came to rest against a concrete barrier, causing substantial damage to the right hand wing. Two passengers reportedly suffered minor injuries.[51]
13 August 2012:United Airways flight 546, anATR 72–212 registeredS2-AFE, was performing a domestic flight en route to Dhaka from Jessore, carrying 10 passengers, when the windshield of thefirst officer (co-pilot) completely blew out due to high pressure at an altitude of 9000 feet. Thecaptain safely landed the plane atShahjalal International Airport. The first officer received an eye injury.[52][53]
5 April 2013: A fire broke out in the cargo village ofShahjalal International Airport at around 11:30 am.[54] Ten units of Fire Service and Civil Defence rushed to the spot and doused the fire one-and-a-half-hour later. Flight schedules were unaffected by the fire.[55]
25 April 2013: A 2-seaterCessna 152 (S2-ABI), aflight training aircraft of Bangladesh Flying Academy crash landed atShah Makhdum Airport, while landing in the airport at 4:24 pm. The aircraft flipped upside-down, the flight instructor and trainee pilot inside escaped with minor injuries.[56]
28 September 2013: ABoeing 747-400 (leased fromAir Atlanta Icelandic), operated bySaudi Arabian Airlines asSV-3822, en route fromRiyadh for aHajj flight, landed inDhaka when sparks and smoke were observed from the right hand main landing gear during roll out, the aircraft stopped on the runway. The airport was closed for about one hour as result of the emergency.[57]
2 November 2013: Air Arabia flight 522, operated by anAirbus A320-200, made an emergency landing atChittagong due to a bird strike, after leaving forSharjah. All aboard were unhurt.[58]
30 May 2014: Air Arabia flight 524 bound forSharjah fromChittagong, operated by an Airbus A320-200, suffered fromcabin pressurisation problems 45 minutes after taking off. The aircraft returned to Chittagong, making a safe emergency landing. The same aircraft made the flight two hours later, after the problems with the aircraft were fixed.[59]
20 July 2014:United Airways Flight 501, an ATR 72–212 registeredS2-AFN, was performing a domestic flight en route to Cox's Bazar from Dhaka, carrying 43 passengers and 5 crews, when the nose gear collapsed after safely landing atCox's Bazar Airport.[60] This caused severe damage to the frontfuselage of the aircraft. The airport was shut down for 22 hours until the aircraft was safely removed from the runway.[61]
1 April 2015: A Cessna 152 (S2-ADI) aircraft of Bangladesh Flying Academy crashed atShah Makhdum Airport and got engulfed by fire after the pilot conducted arejected takeoff, sensing technical problems on the aircraft at around 2 pm.[62] The accident left the trainee pilot Tamanna dead, also leaving the flight instructor with critical burn injuries, who later died.[62]
13 May 2015: AMi-17 helicopter on a training flight belonging to theBangladesh Air Force crash landed Shah Amanat International Airport, Chittagong and caught fire. All three people on board sustained major injuries and were hospitalised.[63]
29 June 2015: AF-7MB aircraft on a training flight belonging to theBangladesh Air Force that took off from Shah Amanat International Airport, Chittagong crashed into theBay of Bengal, six miles offPatenga Beach. The pilot of the aircraft, Flight Lieutenant Rumman Tahmid, remains missing despite a large scale search that only turned up debris of the aircraft.[64][65]
^Ahmed, Akram; Ahmed, Shahabuddin. "Interview with Captain Akram Ahmed and Captain Shahabuddin Ahmed" (Interview). Dhaka: ATN Bangla.
^"Men of Valor".Goecities. Archived fromthe original on 27 October 2009.The PAF was taken out of battle when the IAF bombers destroyed the only airfield in Dacca, twice.
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