Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA)

[Maisson]

Bida opens lounge at Shahjalal Airport for foreign investors

Around Tk2 crore has been spent on building the lounge, according to Bida officials

The Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (Bida) has introduced a lounge at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport for foreign investors and commercially important foreigners.

Salman Fazlur Rahman, the private sector industry and investment adviser to the prime minister inaugurated the Bida-Chameli Lounge on Monday as the chief guest.

He said the lounge has been established to provide better service for foreign investors when they arrive at the airport.

"The lounge will remain open 24 hours a day. Bida officials will welcome foreign investors at the airport and accompany them on the way towards the lounge.

Existing foreign investors and commercially important persons of other countries will also enjoy this facility.

Speaking at the event, Bida Executive Chairman Md Sirazul Islam said they are working to build a developed Bangladesh by attracting foreign investment. 

"The lounge is a part of these activities."

Around Tk2 crore has been spent on building the lounge, according to Bida officials.

Among others, Civil Aviation and Tourism Secretary Mohibul Haque, Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Barrister Nihad Kabir,

Executive Director of the Foreign Investors' Chamber of Commerce and Industry TIM Nurul Kabir, and senior Bida officials were also present at the event.

[Rezwan12]

12:00 AM, September 02, 2020 / LAST MODIFIED: 12:24 AM, September 02, 2020

Air Traffic Control: New radar to usher in a new era

Purchase deal likely to be finalised in a couple of months

Shariful Islam

The purchase deal of a state-of-the-art radar system, long overdue for safe aircraft navigation and control of air traffic through the country's airspace, is expected to be finalised in a couple of months.

The ultra-modern radar will enhance the country's airspace safety, ensure safe landing of aircraft in adverse weather and improve the communication system which is now very weak.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (Caab) recently issued a letter requesting the French government to authorise the radar-maker Thales to supply the long-range sophisticated radar, said a top Caab official.

The radar costing between Tk 600 to Tk 700 crore will be purchased following a government-to-government (G2G) deal.

First a memorandum of understanding (MOU) will be signed with the French government on authorising Thales. Then Bangladesh will negotiate with the company, and an inter-ministerial committee has already been formed for this, added the official.

"The purchase of the radar was under process for quite a long time. Now it has reached a matured stage," Caab Chairman Air Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman told The Daily Star recently.

He further said it may take around three years to install the new radar in Dhaka and fully implement the system which will enhance Caab's capacity to control air traffic communications with any commercial aircraft flying over Bangladesh.

The country now has two radars -- at the international airports in Dhaka and Chittagong. These age-old radars have serious dearth of capacity to ensure surveillance of the airspace which has now expanded significantly with Bangladesh winning the maritime disputes with Myanmar and India.

"A number of air routes are passing through the country's south airspace. As the existing radar systems cannot control commercial air traffic on the routes, India is now providing the service," said the Caab chairman.

However, Bangladesh gets a share of revenue that India earns from the service.

"Once the new radar system is installed, our control will be established and we will earn a good amount from services to aircraft flying through the routes in the south," said Mafidur Rahman.

Bangladesh has hardly any control over its vast airspace as the existing radar in Dhaka is 36-year-old and has gone through modification several times. The other radar in Chattogram is also very old. With these, the communication system can go out of order anytime, Caab officials said.

The radar in Dhaka can communicate 200 nautical miles and able to see aircraft within 100 nautical miles. The one in Chattogram can detect aircraft far at 240 nautical miles and its communication capacity is a bit more.

The new radar will be connected through integrated networking system, covering the entire airspace up to the sea boundary.

The technical specification of the new radar has already been completed with the support of ICAO's technical cooperation bureau specialist.

The Caab took initiatives to replace the old radar in Dhaka in 2005.

In 2012, a company proposed to install the radar at Tk 330 crore under the public-private partnership. After all formalities, tender was floated and four companies took part in the bidding in 2015.

Caab primarily selected a company and sent the proposal to the ministry for final approval, but the ministry rejected it as it showed unusual expenditure.

Then again in September 2018 initiative was taken as per the order of Prime Minister's Office to make the purchase under the project titled "Communications, Navigation and Surveillance/ Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM)" under G2G process.

 

https://www.thedailystar.net/backpage/news/air-traffic-control-new-radar-usher-new-era-1954337

[Patriot_68]

59 minutes ago, Rezwan12 said:

12:00 AM, September 02, 2020 / LAST MODIFIED: 12:24 AM, September 02, 2020

Air Traffic Control: New radar to usher in a new era

Purchase deal likely to be finalised in a couple of months

Shariful Islam

The purchase deal of a state-of-the-art radar system, long overdue for safe aircraft navigation and control of air traffic through the country's airspace, is expected to be finalised in a couple of months.

The ultra-modern radar will enhance the country's airspace safety, ensure safe landing of aircraft in adverse weather and improve the communication system which is now very weak.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (Caab) recently issued a letter requesting the French government to authorise the radar-maker Thales to supply the long-range sophisticated radar, said a top Caab official.

The radar costing between Tk 600 to Tk 700 crore will be purchased following a government-to-government (G2G) deal.

First a memorandum of understanding (MOU) will be signed with the French government on authorising Thales. Then Bangladesh will negotiate with the company, and an inter-ministerial committee has already been formed for this, added the official.

"The purchase of the radar was under process for quite a long time. Now it has reached a matured stage," Caab Chairman Air Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman told The Daily Star recently.

He further said it may take around three years to install the new radar in Dhaka and fully implement the system which will enhance Caab's capacity to control air traffic communications with any commercial aircraft flying over Bangladesh.

The country now has two radars -- at the international airports in Dhaka and Chittagong. These age-old radars have serious dearth of capacity to ensure surveillance of the airspace which has now expanded significantly with Bangladesh winning the maritime disputes with Myanmar and India.

"A number of air routes are passing through the country's south airspace. As the existing radar systems cannot control commercial air traffic on the routes, India is now providing the service," said the Caab chairman.

However, Bangladesh gets a share of revenue that India earns from the service.

"Once the new radar system is installed, our control will be established and we will earn a good amount from services to aircraft flying through the routes in the south," said Mafidur Rahman.

Bangladesh has hardly any control over its vast airspace as the existing radar in Dhaka is 36-year-old and has gone through modification several times. The other radar in Chattogram is also very old. With these, the communication system can go out of order anytime, Caab officials said.

The radar in Dhaka can communicate 200 nautical miles and able to see aircraft within 100 nautical miles. The one in Chattogram can detect aircraft far at 240 nautical miles and its communication capacity is a bit more.

The new radar will be connected through integrated networking system, covering the entire airspace up to the sea boundary.

The technical specification of the new radar has already been completed with the support of ICAO's technical cooperation bureau specialist.

The Caab took initiatives to replace the old radar in Dhaka in 2005.

In 2012, a company proposed to install the radar at Tk 330 crore under the public-private partnership. After all formalities, tender was floated and four companies took part in the bidding in 2015.

Caab primarily selected a company and sent the proposal to the ministry for final approval, but the ministry rejected it as it showed unusual expenditure.

Then again in September 2018 initiative was taken as per the order of Prime Minister's Office to make the purchase under the project titled "Communications, Navigation and Surveillance/ Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM)" under G2G process.

 

https://www.thedailystar.net/backpage/news/air-traffic-control-new-radar-usher-new-era-1954337

BAF radar recently installed in Barisal, can it give assistance to civil aviation if needed ?  

[Joel Ahmed]

https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/bangladesh-modernise-air-traffic-management-system-322324#.YXrNoi_W0OY.facebook

TBS Report

28 October, 2021, 10:15 pm

Last modified: 28 October, 2021, 10:19 pm

Bangladesh to modernise air traffic management system

The control tower will work with the latest automation technologies to support the future growth of air traffic in the country

 

With an aim to secure the country's airspace, the government is going to install a state-of-the-art radar system at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) will build an iconic 45 metre high Control Tower and install an Air Traffic Management Centre at the Dhaka airport, equipped with a security system providing CCTV coverage and access control on an integrated platform.

The CAAB's controllers will work with the latest automation technologies to support the future growth of air traffic in the country.

The project is expected to be completed by 2024.

Paris based Thales, a global leader in advanced technologies, will build the infrastructure, having signed a contract with the CAAB, Bangladesh, on 21 October in Dhaka, in the presence of State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Mohammad Mahbub Ali and French Ambassador to Bangladesh Jean Marin.

The modernisation of the country's Air Traffic Management system project will involve the renovation of the en-route, approach and tower system at Shahjalal Airport in Dhaka, with equipment to be also installed at other regional airports throughout Bangladesh.

Thales will provide complete new automated systems including ATC automation, primary and secondary radars, datalink and countrywide VSAT communications and terrestrial network as backup to VSAT.

State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Md Mahbub Ali told the Business Standard, "As a result of installing the new sophisticated radar and ATC Tower, the entire airspace of the country would be brought under surveillance, aviation will be more secure and revenue from the aviation sector will increase. It will also be possible to identify all the foreign aircraft traveling on international routes using the skies of Bangladesh and flying over charges can be collected from them."

The state minister said, "Through this project, more equipment related to communication, navigation, surveillance and air traffic management will be installed, in addition to the radar and ATC towers. This will remove the current technical constraints on air navigation in the country and also meet the obligations of international airlines. The country's air navigation will be time-befitting and of international standard."

Thales Bangladesh Country Director Benoit Nalin said, "The CAAB has trusted Thales' ATM technology since the 1980s when we first provided our ATM systems to help secure the skies in Bangladesh. Since then, we have established a strong working relationship, with periodic upgrades to our Top Sky ATC and radars over the last two decades. I am proud that Thales has been selected once again to support CAAB on this next milestone, where we will undertake a full overhaul of the country's ATM system, to improve the safety and efficiency of the entire civilian airspace."

This project was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase on 8 August this year.

In 2019, Asia-Pacific was the largest market for passenger travel to Bangladesh, followed closely by the Middle East and Europe.

Over the past year, the number of passengers on domestic routes in Bangladesh returned to pre-pandemic levels.