Shah Amanat International Airport শাহ আমানত আন্তর্জাতিক বিমানবন্দর | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public, military | ||||||||||
| Owner | Government of Bangladesh | ||||||||||
| Operator | Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh | ||||||||||
| Serves | Chattogram | ||||||||||
| Location | Patenga,Chattogram | ||||||||||
| Hub for | Biman Bangladesh Airlines | ||||||||||
| Focus city for | |||||||||||
| Built | 1940; 85 years ago (1940) | ||||||||||
| Time zone | Bangladesh Standard Time (+6) | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 12 ft / 4 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 22°14′59″N91°48′48″E / 22.24972°N 91.81333°E /22.24972; 91.81333 (Shah Amanat International Airport) | ||||||||||
| Website | saia.gov.bd | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  CGP/VGEG CGP/VGEG (South Asia) Show map of South Asia CGP/VGEG CGP/VGEG (Middle East) Show map of Middle East CGP/VGEG CGP/VGEG (Asia) Show map of Asia | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (January 2018 – January 2018) | |||||||||||
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Shah Amanat International Airport (IATA:CGP,ICAO:VGEG) (Bengali:শাহ আমানত আন্তর্জাতিক বিমানবন্দর,romanized: Shah Amanôt Antôrjatik Bimanbôndôr) is aninternational airport servingBangladesh's southeastern port city ofChattogram. Operated and maintained by theCivil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh, it is thesecond-largest international airport in Bangladesh afterShahjalal International Airport inDhaka, Bangladesh. It is used by theBangladesh Air Force as a part of 'BAF Zahurul Haq Base'.
It was formerly known as MA Hannan International Airport, named afterAwami League politicianM. A. Hannan, but was renamed on 2 April 2005 by theGovernment of Bangladesh, after an 18th-century Islamic saint,Shah Amanat. It is capable of annually handling 1.5 million passengers and 6,000 tonnes of cargo.[3] It also serves as a base for the Arirang Flying School.[4] Shah Amanat International airport is also a base for theBangladesh Air Force known as theBAF Zahurul Haq Base which also has facilities for theBangladesh Naval Aviation and aBangladesh Army Aviation base.[5][6][7][8][9]
The airport is in thePatenga area of the city, 20 kilometres (13 mi; 11NM) west from the city's main commercial hub, GEC Circle and 18.5 km south of the city's railway station on the north bank of theKarnaphuli River. There are a few hotels or restaurants near the airport; numerous hotels and restaurants are available in the city.[citation needed]
The airfield was built in the early 1940s under the British rule.[citation needed] Known as Chittagong Airfield during World War II, it was used as a supply point by the United States Army Air Forces'4th Combat Cargo Group. From the airport, they flewC-46 Commando aircraft to transport men and supplies between January and June 1945, during theBurma Campaign 1944-1945.[10] At the end of June, control of the airport was returned to local authorities.[citation needed]
It officially became a Bangladeshi airport in 1972 after theBangladesh Liberation War.[11] At first, it was mainly used for connectingDhaka andChittagong. However, In 1998,Hasina I cabinet approved to renovated this airport to making it international airport.
In March 1998, a major renovation and expansion began, which ended in December 2000.[11]CAAB received financial assistance from theJapan International Cooperation Agency for the US$51.57 million upgrade.[11] The project was carried out by Japanese firmsShimizu andMarubeni.[11] The upgrade modernised the terminal with new and better seats, more check-in counters, better security equipment and other facilities.[11] TheAir Traffic Control tower received new hi-tech equipment such as 3D radar. Therunway,taxiways and thetarmac were expanded and improved.[11] After the upgrade, aircraft such as theBoeing 747-400 or theAirbus A340 can land easily.[11]
In June 2005,CAAB announced that the management of the airport would be awarded toThai Airways, the national carrier ofThailand, for 10 years.[3] Thai Airways would be responsible ofcatering,passenger check-in,ground handling, cargo handling, and other technical services.[12] This, however, never materialized.
Biman and US-Bangla Airlines currently operate flights to Dhaka and various points in the Middle East. Domestic destinations like Sylhet, Cox's Bazar and Jashore have also been added. Foreign airlines include Fly Dubai, Air Arabia, Jazeera Airways, Oman Air and Salam Air. Novo Air operates flights to Dhaka only. US-Bangla also operates flights to Chennai after originating in Dhaka.
Emirates SkyCargo launched cargo services in 2013, making it the first scheduled cargo airline in the airport.[13]
The airport's sole, 220,000 square feet (20,000 m2)passenger terminal is divided into two parts: International and Domestic with a boarding bridge in each.[11] The International part of the terminal is larger than the Domestic one due to higher number of passengers.[11] The building is divided into two floors: The lower floor is used for checking in, boarding or getting off small planes, and receiving luggage. The upper floor is used for boarding or getting off large planes only.[11]
The airport also has a 29,063 square feet (2,700 m2) cargo terminal.[11] A new Lounge has also been created for American express card holders.
Theair traffic control tower is 50 meters west of the airport terminal. It has a clear view of the tarmac and taxiways but is far from the runway. Heavy rain or fog can make it difficult for controllers to see planes taking off or landing.
The airport has a single runway (05/23), which is 2,940 m × 45 m (9,646 ft × 148 ft).[11] The largest aircraft that can land is aBoeing 747-400.[11]
The airport has twotaxiways, Alpha and Bravo, that directly leads to thetarmac (or aircraft parking zone) from the runway. The tarmac can accommodate a maximum of four aircraft; twowide-body Boeing 747-400s, a wide-bodyMcDonnell Douglas DC-10 and anarrow-bodyAirbus A320 can be parked there at once.[11]
The airport has twoboarding bridges and two passenger steps. The parking points are usually empty as most of the planes that arrive there take off soon after; the planes of local airlines are generally parked atShahjalal International Airport overnight. A small civil plane hangar belonging toBiman is available but is rarely used.
The Bangladesh Military has a parking zone and two plane hangars east of the runway. TheBangladesh Air Force store a few planes here which have direct access to the runway.[citation needed]
Shah Amanat International Airport can be easily accessed by car or taxi thorough the city's Agrabad and GEC area. It has three parking zones: one civil and two VIP. The civil one is in front of the terminal; it has a capacity of 400 cars.[11] This zone is usually loaded with public transport, mostly auto-rickshaws and micro-buses. The zone is made of concrete and asphalt, surrounded by a grass patch. Both VIP parking zones are beside the terminal, one left and one right. The one on the left is for people who work at the airport or one of the airlines, such as pilots or air traffic controllers. The other is used by the VVIPs.[citation needed]
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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