The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) has announced that India will not be involved in the modernization of Saidpur Airport.
Despite India's interests, the interim government is in talks with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to modernize and transform the airport, aiming to enhance regional air connectivity and establish potential cargo transport links in the future.
At a press briefing on Thursday, CAAB Chairman Air Vice Marshal Md Manjur Kabir Bhuiyan presented an update on the defunct airport and revealed that discussions have been held with ADB regarding the modernization of three airports including Saidpur.
He noted that several countries have shown interest in assisting the government to improve the airport, facilitating better passenger and cargo flow from Nepal and Bhutan.
When asked about India's interest in the project, the CAAB chairman said: “We want to build it ourselves.”
He estimated that the project would require Tk5,000 crore for land acquisition, with another Tk5,000 crore for terminal and infrastructure modernization.
Earlier in 2023, Indian High Commissioner Pranay Kumar Verma had expressed India’s interest in financing the construction and operations of new airports in Bangladesh.
At the time, he offered to provide training to Bangladesh's aviation sector, enhance existing airport capacity, and use Indian lines of credit for new airport construction.
However, Verma also voiced concerns over delays in the expansion of Saidpur Airport, which Bangladesh had initially agreed to expand through Indian credit.
Meanwhile, as Bangladesh’s relations with India have soured since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina’s government, the government is now in talks with Germany for the expansion and modernization of Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong.
Saidpur Airport, which began operations as a domestic airport in 1979, currently operates about 30 daily flights on the Dhaka-Saidpur-Dhaka route.
However, according to CAAB sources, the airport has faced financial constraints in expanding its current runway.
To accommodate larger aircraft and become a regional hub, the runway must be extended around 12,000 feet.
Recently, the Bangladesh government expanded the terminal's capacity by around 700 passengers, at a cost of over Tk300 crore.
The government has also reiterated plans to develop it as a regional airport to better serve neighbouring countries, especially landlocked Nepal and Bhutan.
In 2022, Kathmandu proposed establishing regional air connections between Dhaka and Saidpur, as well as between Biratnagar and Saidpur, along with visa-on-arrival facilities.
CAAB officials confirmed that the Bangladesh government had sought to upgrade the airport using Indian credit but could not proceed due to delays in acquiring the necessary land.
Additionally, Indian diplomats had advocated for revising the existing air services agreement and restarting air services with northeastern Indian cities.
In December 2022, Indian High Commissioner Verma met with the then foreign minister AK Abdul Momen, calling for the resumption of Guwahati-Dhaka air services and highlighting the need for direct flights between Guwahati and Sylhet.
