One step closer towards the dream of becoming an aviation hub

The aviation stakeholders are considering the construction of the much anticipated third terminal at Dhaka airport as one step advancement towards the dream of making Bangladesh an aviation hub.

However, the airline operators think that there needs to be strategic planning, massive investment and policy support to be a hub through robust air connectivity utilising its potential emanating from its geographic location.  

They also stressed the need for reopening the six closed domestic airports that are not in commercial operation due to the insufficient infrastructure for takeoff and landing of aeroplanes.

These airfields – located in Ishwardi, Shamshernagar, Thakurgaon, Bogura, Lalmonirhat and Cumilla – were constructed in the British era and saw commercial operations during the Pakistan period.

"You know that Switzerland is considered as the hub point of the entire Europe. Similarly, Bangladesh is suitable to become such a hub. If the country is in such an important position, travellers will be able to go to their destination by transiting in Bangladesh from any country in the world," Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) Chairman Air-Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman told TBS.

"Keeping these possibilities in mind, Bangabandhu dreamed of making a hub. His daughter, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has also taken one step after another with the plan to form a hub in this country. In that continuity, mega projects like the third terminal are now nearing completion," he added.

Mentioning the potential, he said all South Asian countries can be reached within two hours from Bangladesh. Additionally, any country in Asia can be reached in four hours and all European countries in about eight hours.

One crore thirty lac of Bangladesh's total 17 crore population reside abroad while 2 lac 50 thousand foreigners stay in the country. These segments can be great sources of passengers. "Currently, we handle 80 lakh passengers a year. If we can grab the aforementioned diaspora, we can increase the passenger number to 2 crores," claimed CAAB Chairman.

"If Singapore and Dubai, countries with a very small population, can become the aviation hub of the world in five decades from a very backward background, why can't Bangladesh become a regional hub with a population of 170 million and an advantageous geographical position in East, Southeast Asia and South Asia?" he questioned.

An airline hub or hub airport is the name given to the airport that airlines use outside their headquarters. The hub is also used as a term that expresses the connectivity of an airport to other airports. And the more space an airport provides access to, the higher the flight frequency is and the greater the hub.

Today, just like the airlines, airports are also competing among themselves. That's why they increase the number of connections and compete to become better hubs.

"Hub ensures air connectivity. And if we can bring about that insurance, the movement of domestic and foreign airlines will increase and we will get a lot of revenue," Squadron Leader ATM Nazrul Islam, an aviation expert, told The Business Standard.

"Though we are still not ready, we can prepare to be a hub. Just as it has to be prepared politically, the local airlines have to prepare to increase their strength," he added.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stressed the need for preparing a roadmap to make Bangladesh an aviation hub in the region.

At the first-ever Bangladesh Aviation Summit in March this year, she said her government had undertaken several measures in the last decade, including a number of projects to upgrade airports, airport security and ground handling to support the development of an aviation hub.

The country is currently implementing various airport development projects, worth around Tk32,605 crore, including the third terminal at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka.

Stating that there should be an "open-air sky policy", Kazi Wahidul Alam, an aviation consultant and former board member of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, said that if any country's airline wants to operate flights here, they should be given the opportunity.

For example, Dubai, Singapore, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur are now aviation hubs, where there is no restriction on the flight operations of any airline in those hubs.

"We control the frequency, arrival and departure of foreign airlines to protect our national carrier here. We don't want to let everyone come," he added.

He mentioned that Bangladesh still needs to catch up to its neighbour India as they also have a target to be an international aviation hub.

When asked how to arrange Open Sky, CAAB Chairman said, "Will it be possible to do everything from the beginning?" These measures will be done step by step, capacity should be increased, cargo terminals should be fully operational, domestic and foreign airlines should come forward based on competition, only then it will be implemented.

What do local airliners say?

Asked how much impact this third terminal will have as an air hub, Squadron Leader Lutfor Rahman, CEO of US-Bangla Airlines said, "Take the Middle East for example. There is a hub to connect East and West. The distance that existed in the past is not there now; rather the distance has now increased. Now, hub means global hub. There is no such thing as a regional hub. 

"If we are exempted from taxes, if proper assistance is given to customs, if bonded warehouses are provided for airlines, then we will focus on growth. Then we will come up with better equipment. We can provide better service. In this way, if all the necessary conditions are fulfilled, the hub will be developed for sure," he added. 

Mofizur Rahman, Secretary General, Aviation Operators Association of Bangladesh (AOAB) and Managing Director, NovoAir, said, "Of course, Bangladesh has a prospect of becoming a regional hub. But given our overall situation, it can be said that we don't yet have the necessary components here to become a hub."

"Infrastructure alone is not enough for an aviation hub. It also requires trained manpower. The country's aviation-related laws should be up-to-date and in tune with the rest of the world. Oil prices should be in line with the world. There are many such things where we are lagging behind," he added.