Tall trees disrupting flight landings near Cox's Bazar and Saidpur airports: Novoair safety chief

Tall trees near Cox's Bazar and Saidpur airports are causing turbulence during flight landings, said Novoair's Chief of Safety Captain Ashfaq-Ur-Rahman Khan.

He raised the issue during a workshop, titled "Aviation Infrastructure and Imperatives for Aviation Safety" jointly organised by Novoair Aviation and the Aviation and Tourism Journalists Forum (ATJFB) on Wednesday.

Captain Ashfaq gave a presentation on various aspects of flight safety at the workshop.

He mentioned that tall trees around the two airports are causing turbulence. While many assume the turbulence is due to pilot error, he clarified that it is a natural phenomenon. He further mentioned that a letter has already been sent to the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) regarding this issue.

In his presentation, he also stressed the importance of runway surface levelness and the need for advanced navigation systems for flight safety. He detailed the complete set of regulations in place to ensure the safety of both flight crews and passengers.

Addressing a question about flight safety from the journalists, Novoair's Managing Director Mofizur Rahman spoke about the issues of bird strikes and laser lights near airports. "To prevent this, the airport authorities are taking various initiatives including using sound guns. However, various slaughterhouses, fish farming, etc., which are sources of bird food, must be stopped from the areas around the airport."

Furthermore, he discussed the issue of laser lights being aimed at pilots, a serious safety concern. He pointed out that in many countries, law enforcement apprehends offenders within an hour of such incidents, whereas in Bangladesh, law enforcement struggles to take swift action.

The event was chaired by ATJFB President and Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) Special Correspondent Tanzim Anwar.