Airport type Public, military Elevation AMSL 12 ft / 4 m Code CGP Phone +880 1753-16254 | 05/23 9,646 Elevation 4 m | |
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Operator Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh Hub for Biman Bangladesh AirlinesUnited AirwaysRegent AirwaysUS-Bangla AirlinesDhaka International Airways Similar Shah Amanat Internatio, Regent Airways ‑ Nasiraba, Qatar Airways, Chittagong Railway Station, US‑Bangla Airlines Limited | ||
Shah Amanat International Airport (IATA: CGP, ICAO: VGEG) (Bengali: শাহ আমানত আন্তর্জাতিক বিমানবন্দর Shah Amanôt Antôrjatik Bimanbôndôr) is an international airport serving Bangladesh's southeastern port city of Chittagong. Operated and maintained by the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh, it is the second-largest international airport in Bangladesh After Dhaka International Airport Hazrat Shahjalal Airport of Bangladesh. It is also used by the Bangladesh Air Force as a part of BAF Zahurul Haq Base. It was formerly known as MA Hannan International Airport, named after Awami League politician M. A. Hannan, but was renamed on 2 April 2005 by the Government of Bangladesh, after an Islamic saint, Hazrat Shah Amanat.
Contents
- Location
- World War II
- Bangladeshi airport
- 19982000 renovation and expansion
- Thai Airways International deal
- 2010s
- Terminal
- Control tower
- Runway
- Taxiways and tarmac
- Ground transportation
- Incidents and accidents
- References
The airport is capable of annually handling 1.5 million passengers and 6,000 tonnes of cargo. The airport is served by nine passenger airlines which connect the airport internationally with a few Middle Eastern cities, Bangkok, Kolkata and Kuala Lumpur, along with domestic flights to Dhaka. Emirates SkyCargo and Etihad Cargo offer freighter flights to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong and Guangzhou.
Location
The airport is located in the Patenga area of the city, 20 kilometres (13 mi; 11 NM) 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 the Karnaphuli River. There are no hotels or restaurants near the airport, however numerous hotels and restaurants are available in the city.
World War II
The airfield was built in the early 1940s under the British rule. Known as Chittagong Airfield during World War II, the airport was used as a combat airfield, as well as a supply point and photographic reconnaissance base by the United States Army Air Forces Tenth Air Force during the Burma Campaign 1944-1945.
Known American units assigned to Chittagong were:
From the airport, the 4th CCG C-46's flew supplies and ammunition which were air-dropped to the advancing Allied forces on the ground. At the end of June, control of the airport was returned to local authorities.
Bangladeshi airport
It officially became a Bangladeshi airport in 1972 after Bangladesh's liberation war. At first, it was mainly used for connecting Dhaka and Chittagong, but in the mid-1990s Biman started international flights to Dubai and a few Saudi Arabian cities and the airport officially became an international airport.
1998–2000 renovation and expansion
In March 1998, a major renovation and expansion began at the airport, which ended in December 2000. CAAB received financial assistance from the Japan International Cooperation Agency for the US$51.57 million upgrade. The project was carried out by Japanese firms Shimizu & Marubeni.
The upgrade modernised the terminal with new and better seats, more check-in counters, better security equipment and other facilities. The Air Traffic Control tower also received new hi-tech equipment such as 3D radars. The runway, taxiways and the tarmac were expanded and improved.
After the upgrade, aircraft such as the Boeing 747-400 or the Airbus A340 can land easily at the airport.
Thai Airways International deal
In June 2005, CAAB announced that the management of the airport would be awarded to Thai Airways International, the national carrier of Thailand, for a period of 10 years. Thai Airways would be responsible of catering, passenger check-in, ground handling, cargo handling, and other technical services. However, the deal was later scrapped, as Thai Airways withdrew from the project, because CAAB kept delaying the handover due to opposition by airport workers, political circles and Biman unions.
2010s
Emirates SkyCargo launched cargo services in 2013, making it the first scheduled cargo airline in the airport.
Terminal
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. The International part of the terminal is larger than the Domestic one due to higher number of passengers. The building is also divided into two floors: The lower floor is used for checking in, boarding or getting off small planes and receiving luggage while the upper floor is used for boarding or getting off large planes only.
The airport also has a 29,063 square feet (2,700 m2) cargo terminal.
Control tower
The airport's air 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). The largest aircraft that can land in the airport is a Boeing 747-400.
Taxiways and tarmac
The airport has two taxiways, Alpha and Bravo, that directly leads to the tarmac, or aircraft parking zone, from the runway. The tarmac can accommodate a maximum of four aircraft; two wide-body Boeing 747-400s, a wide-body McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and a narrow-body Airbus A320 can be parked there at once. The airport has two boarding bridges and two passenger steps. The parking points are usually empty as most of the planes that arrive there takeoff soon after and the planes of local airlines are generally parked at Shahjalal International Airport overnight. A small civil plane hangar belonging to Biman is available but is rarely used.
The Bangladesh Military has a parking zone and two plane hangars east of the runway. The Bangladesh Air Force store a few planes here which have direct access to the runway.
Ground transportation
The airport can be easily accessed by car or taxi thorough the city's Agrabad area. Shah Amanat airport has three parking zones, one civil and two VIP. The civil one is located just in front of the terminal, it has a capacity of 400 cars. 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 located 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 that use the airport, such as pilots or air traffic controllers. The other is used by the VVIPs.