Dhaka airport runway to be closed for 5 hours a day for 2 months

Airlines fear congested flight schedules may cause chaos if ground-handling capacity and other services are not enhanced in advance

Planes At Dhk Airport

File photo shows planes parked at the tarmac of the airport in Dhaka Syed Zakir Hossain/Dhaka Tribune

Mamun Abdullah

February 1, 2023

The sole runway of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka will remain closed for five hours every day from February 2 till April 3 as the authorities are set to upgrade the runway lighting system.

The runway will be closed from 2am to 7am during the two months, according to a notice to air missions (NOTAMs) issued by the Flight Standard and Regulations (FSR) Division of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB).

Domestic and international flights would operate as per the NOTAMs directives, FSR Division Director (Air Transportation) told Dhaka Tribune.

Twelve flights that operated in those five hours had been rescheduled, but flight schedules throughout the rest of the day would not be changed or disrupted, said FSR Division Member Air Commodore Shah Kawsar Ahmed Choudhury.

He said airlines had been informed of the matter, and that they had already adjusted their flight schedules.

Airline operators sold tickets and provided passengers with flight schedules accordingly.

However, air carriers said they feared that the new congested flight schedules might cause chaos if ground-handling capacity and other services were not enhanced in advance.

The aviation regulatory body, CAAB, said it had taken necessary preparations, including increasing the number of ground-handling personnel, to prevent any hindrance to the flight schedules.

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