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]
A 30 SquadronThunderbolt II taking off from Chittagong, 1944
Bangladeshi airport
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.
Expansion since 1998
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 Flydubai, Air Arabia, Jazeera Airways, Oman Air and SalamAir. 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]
Infrastructure and operation
Terminal
Departure area
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.
Control tower
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.
Runway
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]
Taxiways and tarmac
Apron area
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]
Incidents and accidents
April 23, 1942:ADouglas DB-7 Boston ofUSAAF This aircraft crashed immediately during takeoff fromChittagong for an operational mission toYangon. All four crew members, including pilot P/O William B. Rrice, were killed in the accident.[27]
September 27, 1945:ADouglas C-47A Dakota ofUSAAF Shortly after takeoff fromPatenga, an engine caught fire. The captain attempted an emergency belly landing in a nearby field; the aircraft slid into a ditch and was destroyed by fire, though all four crew members survived with injuries.[28]
October 19, 1945: ADouglas C-47B Dakota ofUSAAF In a late-war accident, this transport plane skidded on the runway during takeoff. Though it managed to lift off momentarily, it stalled and crashed in flames, resulting in at least one fatality.[29]
March 4, 1942: ABristol 142 Blenheim ofRAF While not at the airfield itself, this aircraft crashed into the sea off nearbyCox's Bazar for unknown reasons. Both pilots were rescued after the ditching.[30]
September 9, 1942: AnotherBristol Blenheim After being severely damaged by Japanese fighters overAkyab, the crew managed to fly back toChittagong. However, the plane crashed upon landing and was destroyed beyond repair.[31]
November 23, 1944: ACurtiss C-46B commando crashed shortly after takeoff due to heavy fog. Killing all 12 crew members and 14 civilians on the ground.[32]
1 July 2005:Biman flight BG 048 en route fromDubai skidded off runway 23 onto the grass while landing during heavy rain. The right-hand undercarriage of theMcDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 caught fire. Ten passengers were injured while exiting. Investigations found that the wheel-box of the aircraft went out of order. The aircraft was later written-off.[33]
3 August 2017: A Bangladesh NavyDornier 228 aircraft on a routine training exercise veered off runway 23 after landing. No crew members were injured during the incident. The airport was closed for about 3 hours; aCessna 152 training aircraft landed safely on the opposite runway a few minutes after the incident.[36]
26 September 2018: AUS-Bangla AirlinesBoeing 737NG aircraft bound forCox's Bazar from Dhaka was forced to make an emergency landing when the pilots had difficulty in trying to lower the nose-gear. The aircraft carrying 171 passengers and crew, made an emergency landing atChittagong, Shah Amanat International Airport at 1:45 pm local time.[37] No injuries and fatalities occurred as the flight crew, was able to evacuate the entire plane as emergency services rushed to the scene.
On 25 February 2019, aBiman Bangladesh AirlinesFlight 147 was subject to attempted hijacking. TheBoeing 737-800, bound for Dubai via Chittagong, was carrying 143 passengers and seven crew members. The plane made an emergency landing at 5:41pm. The alleged hijacker was killed in a commando operation at Shah Amanat International Airport after all passengers were evacuated safely. It has emerged that the hijacker was mentally deranged and wanted to speak to his estranged ex-wife during the saga.[38]
May 9, 2024: AYakovlev Yak-130 training jet crashed inPatenga, Chattogram due topilot error,The co pilot ejected and survive but the squadron leader didn't as his parachute was in fire and the ejected seat wasn't working resulting in the death of Squadron Leader Asim Jawad.[39]
^Ehrhart, I. C.; Parker, P. E.; Weidner, W. J.; Dabney, J. M.; Scott, J. B.; Haddy, F. J. (September 1975). "Coronary vascular and myocardial responses to carotid body stimulation in the dog".The American Journal of Physiology.229 (3):754–760.doi:10.1152/ajplegacy.1975.229.3.754.ISSN0002-9513.PMID2017.
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
.png)
