Waterbuses for Chattogram air passengers from next week
Many passengers miss their flights from Chattogram airport because of long tailbacks on the roads leading to the airport
Waterbus services will be launched next week for Chattogram airport passengers to avoid traffic congestion on the airport road.
Authorities have completed all preparations for the launch. Many passengers miss their flights from Chattogram airport because of long tailbacks on the roads leading to the airport.
Each passenger will have to pay Tk400 for a one-way trip.
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Md Omar Faruk, secretary of Chittagong Port Authority (CPA), said, "The waterbuses will operate between Sadarghat Water Bus Terminal (SWT) in the city and Patenga Water Bus Terminal (PWT) near the airport. There will be 11 trips a day starting from 6:55am to 10:00pm."
Upon reaching the Patenga terminal, passengers will be taken to Shah Amanat International Airport by shuttle bus, he added.
Md Sabbab Hossain, managing director of SS Trading told The Business Standard, "The service may start from November 28. It will be a 20-minute journey if the waterbuses run at 25-knot speed".
"If the waterbuses run at the full speed of 35-knots, the commute will not take more than 15 minutes" he added.
The air-conditioned waterbuses with WiFi facilities can accommodate 30 people, including 25 seated and five standing passengers. Each waterbus will be three feet deep, 37 feet long and 11 feet wide.
The CPA had planned to provide a waterbus service to reach Shah Amanat International Airport from Sadarghat in 30 minutes, cutting the travel time by a factor of six.
As per the plan, they have signed an agreement with Chittagong Dry Dock Limited (CDDL) for operating waterbuses on the route.
The CDDL then gave the contract to SS Trading, an infrastructure company, to operate the service. The contractors have built two waterbuses to go into operation from next week.
Meanwhile, terminals at both ends of the route have already been built.
