Although Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) authorities have decided to officially open for 24-hour flight operation from May 2, the new flight schedule would be effective from mid-May.
The development comes in light of the construction work of a new high-speed taxiway for the third terminal being completed ahead of schedule.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) issued a NOTAMs (notice to airmen) on April 25 which will be effective from May 2, Group Captain Muhammed Kamrul Islam, executive director of Dhaka airport told Dhaka Tribune.
“Airlines have been informed of the matter. They will be rescheduling their flights accordingly," he said.
However, relevant stakeholders and airline operators have already sold tickets from May 12 to May 15 and provided passengers with flight schedules.
They said that although the runway will be open from May 2, they will be unable to comply with the 24-hour schedule before May 15.
Earlier, the airport authorities suspended flight operations for eight hours from midnight on December 10 for six months due to the construction work of the third terminal and lighting of the taxiway.
However, as the construction work was completed ahead of schedule, the airport authorities have decided to operate 24-hour flights from May 2.
Due to the suspension and change in schedule, passengers at the airport have faced a lot of problems, including a trolley crisis, huge crowds at check-in counters, and congestion at the immigration and boarding bridge.
Inside the plan
According to CAAB, under the summer schedule, flights begin from mid-March every year while winter flights begin from November and continue till the first week of March.
A week ago, domestic and international airports were verbally informed that the current schedule would continue till May 15.
According to Group Captain Chy M Zia Ul Kabir, member of flight standard and regulations (FSR) at CAAB, by the time information about the reopening of the runway was passed on to the airlines, they had run out of tickets.
“It will take around 10 days to restore the 24-hour flight schedules after the issuance of the NOTAM,” he said.
CAAB Chairman Air Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman said the authorities had planned to resume 24-hour flights in June but construction had ended earlier.
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A top official of the aviation regulatory body told Dhaka Tribune that work on the taxiway would have been completed sooner had it not been for the frequently delayed Biman flights which in turn delayed construction work by two hours every night.
Construction at Chittagong airport is also expected to be completed soon, according to CAAB sources.
During this time, Osmani International Airport in Sylhet had been available for 24 hours for takeoff and landing on an emergency basis.
Current situation of flight schedule
According to a study conducted by CAAB’s FSR division, the maximum number of flights affected due to the closure are those operated between 12 midnight and 8am. However, domestic flights remain unaffected.
According to the study, out of around 10 flights, the timings of four or five flights will have to be adjusted in the morning and the remaining five or six flights will have to be adjusted in the evening.
However, the regular flight schedule that was set from 8:01 am to 11.59 pm will not be affected much.
Currently, 40 airlines operate an average of 80 to 90 flights to carry around 8,000 to 10,000 passengers per day at Dhaka airport, according to CAAB.