PM to open Cox’s Bazar Airport runway expansion project Sunday

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday (tomorrow) will officially inaugurate the expansion work on the Cox's Bazar Airport runway online as part of a project to upgrade the airport to an international standard one.

Project Coordinator Md Masudul Hasan said the 9,000-foot runway would be expanded by 1,700 feet towards the Moheshkhali channel and 2.5% of the work had been finished.  

He said the Tk1,568 crore project would be completed within 33 months.

Officials said Boeing 777 and Boeing 747 would be able to take off from and land at the airport once the runway was expanded.

The work on expanding the runway began on 11 August.

Under the government-funded project, a new terminal building has been built and the airfield ground lighting system has been installed.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh is implementing the project.

Md Mahbub Ali, state minister for civil aviation and tourism, visited the airport on Friday and told reporters local and foreign officials of different organisations working with the Rohingyas come to Cox's Bazar as it is a global issue.

He said the airport was being modernised to ease the travels of these officials and tourists as well.

This would accelerate economic activities, he said, adding 72 development projects were going in Cox's Bazar at present.

Officials said a 1,300-foot stretch of the runway's expanded portion would be under the sea.

This would be done by buildings blocks in the sea, a construction technique being used for the first time in Bangladesh, they added.  

Tourism businesses said the project would bring down travel costs and remove travel hassles.

They said it was a good step towards attracting foreign tourists, which would help the tourism industry grow. 

Cox's Bazar Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Abu Morshed Chowdhury Khoka said it was very important to have an airport of international standards in Cox's Bazar now considering the Rohingya issue.   

He said the economic zone in Cox's Bazar, once implemented, would attract businesses as well, leading to economic growth. 

Cox's Bazar Airport Manager Md Abdullah Al Faruk said the airport's runway had previously been expanded from 6,775 feet to 9,000 feet in length and from 120 feet to 200 feet in width.  

He said the prime minister had inaugurated flight operations on the previously expanded runway in 2017.

"The prime minister at the time gave instructions to expand the runway further," he added.   

A Chinese firm was awarded the expansion project on 9 February this year.

Earlier on 6 January, the prime minister approved the project at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Public Procurement.