Boarding bridge at Ctg Airport out of order for 4 days, passengers suffer

One of the two boarding bridges at Chattogram's Shah Amanat International Airport has remained out of service for the past four days, forcing international passengers to walk under the scorching sun to reach the terminal.

According to airport sources, the malfunctioning bridge at Gate 4 of the international terminal has severely hampered smooth passenger movement.

As a result, when two wide-body aircraft arrive at the same time, passengers of one flight can use the only operational bridge at Gate 5, while passengers from the other flight are compelled to walk to and from the terminal building — a situation that is causing immense discomfort.

Speaking to The Business Standard today (10 June), the airport's Public Relations Officer Engineer Md Ibrahim Khalil, said, "Both boarding bridges were installed in 2001. They are kept operational through regular repairs. When one is under maintenance, the other remains functional.

"Currently, the bridge at Gate 4 is out of order, but the one at Gate 5 is in use."

He also informed that installation work for a new boarding bridge at Gate 6, costing nearly Tk20 crore, is underway and is expected to be completed by August.

Additionally, the airport authority plans to procure two brand-new boarding bridges in the near future, in line with government directives.

Passengers, however, expressed dissatisfaction over the current state of affairs. "After long flights, having to walk to the terminal in this heat is very distressing," said one traveller.

The situation is likely to worsen as Hajj return flights are scheduled to start arriving from 17 June, potentially increasing passenger congestion and suffering.

Airport officials said besides handling 14 to 18 international flights daily, these two bridges are also used for large domestic flights. With one bridge out of order, the full load is now falling on the single operational bridge, increasing the risk of delays and further inconvenience.