- Shahjalal International Airport
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Shahjalal International Airport
হজরত শাহজালাল আন্তর্জাতিক বিমানবন্দর
Hôjrot Shahjalal Antorjatik Bimanbôndor
IATA: DAC – ICAO: VGHS Location of airport in Bangladesh
DACSummary Airport type Public Owner Bangladesh Government Operator Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh Serves Dhaka Location Kurmitola Hub for Biman Bangladesh Airlines
GMG Airlines
United Airways
Regent AirwaysElevation AMSL 27 ft / 8 m Coordinates 23°50′34″N 090°24′02″E / 23.84278°N 90.40056°ECoordinates: 23°50′34″N 090°24′02″E / 23.84278°N 90.40056°E Website Runways Direction Length Surface m ft 14/32 3,200 10,500 Concrete/Asphalt Source: Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh[1][2] Official full name Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport[3] (formerly Zia International Airport) (IATA: DAC, ICAO: VGHS) (Bengali: হজরত শাহজালাল আন্তর্জাতিক বিমানবন্দর Hôjrot Shahjalal Antorjatik Bimanbôndor), located in the capital Dhaka, is the largest airport in Bangladesh. It started operations in 1980, taking over as the country's sole international airport from Tejgaon Airport. It is the home base and hub of all airlines of Bangladesh, including Biman Bangladesh Airlines, GMG Airlines, and United Airways.[3]
The airport has an area of 1,981 acres (802 ha). About 66% of the country's international and domestic arrivals and departures occur through this airport, while the country's second largest airport, Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong, accounts for nearly 21% of passengers. Approximately 4 million international and 2 million domestic passengers and 150,000 tons of freight and mail pass through the airport annually.[4]
Shahjalal International Airport connects Bangladesh with many major cities of the world; Biman Bangladesh Airlines flies internationally from the airport to 13 cities in Europe and Asia.[5]
Contents
Location
The airport is located in Kurmitola, 11 NM (20 km; 13 mi) north of the capital Dhaka. It lies on the 8-laned Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway, often called Airport Road. On the north of the airport lies Uttara (Dhaka) and Gazipur, and at its south is Dhaka City
History
In 1941, during the second world war, the British government built a landing strip at Kurmitola, several kilometers north of Tejgaon, as an extra landing strip for the Tejgaon Airport, which at the time was a military airport, to operate warplanes towards the war fields of Kohima (Assam) and Burmese war theatres.[6]
After the creation of Pakistan in 1947, Tejgaon Airport became the first civil airport in what was then East Pakistan, current day Bangladesh. Following the independence of Bangladesh, to accommodate the increase in air traffic, a new airport was constructed on the Kurmitola airstrip. In 1981, the airport was officially inaugurated by President Abdus Sattar. It was renamed the Zia International Airport, after the assassination of president Ziaur Rahman.
In 1992, the airport terminal area experienced rapid expansion with addition of boarding bridges and equipments. A multistorey car park with space for 500 cars was also built at this time.
In 2010 the name was changed from Zia International Airport to Shah Jalal International Airport by the Bangladeshi government, named after one of Bangladesh's most respected Sufi saints, Shah Jalal.
Terminals, airlines and destinations
The airport consists of two major terminals, T1 and T2 for international flights and a concourse of T2 is used for domestic flights. The arrivals deck is the ground floor and the upper floor is the departures hall. A VIP terminal is built only about 200 metres from the main gate and is only used occasionally.
Passenger
Airlines Destinations Afriqiyah Airways Tripoli Air Arabia Sharjah Air India Express Kolkata, Singapore Bangkok Airways Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi Biman Bangladesh Airlines Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Dammam, Delhi, Doha, Dubai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Jeddah, Karachi, Kathmandu, Kolkata, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait, London-Heathrow, Manchester, Milan-Malpensa [begins 14 November],[citation needed] Male, Mumbai, Muscat, Riyadh, Rome-Fiumicino, Singapore, Sylhet China Eastern Airlines Beijing-Capital, Kunming China Southern Airlines Guangzhou Dragonair Hong Kong, Kathmandu Druk Air Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Paro Emirates Dubai Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi flydubai Dubai GMG Airlines Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Delhi, Dubai, Jeddah, Jessore, Karachi, Kathmandu, Kolkata, Kuala Lumpur, Riyadh, Sylhet Gulf Air Bahrain Jet Airways Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata Kingfisher Airlines Kolkata Kuwait Airways Kuwait Malaysia Airlines Kuala Lumpur Mihin Lanka Colombo Pakistan International Airlines Karachi, Lahore Qatar Airways Doha RAK Airways Ras Al Khaimah Regent Airways Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Jessore, Sylhet Saudi Arabian Airlines Dammam, Jeddah, Riyadh, Madinah Singapore Airlines Singapore Thai Airways International Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi Turkish Airlines Istanbul-Atatürk, Karachi United Airways Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Dubai, Jessore, Kathmandu, Kolkata, Kuala Lumpur, London-Gatwick, Rajshahi, Saidpur, Sylhet Yemenia Dubai, Sana'a Cargo airlines
Airlines Destinations British Airways World Cargo[7] Chennai, Frankfurt, London-Stansted, Zaragoza Cathay Pacific Cargo Hong Kong China Cargo Airlines Chongqing, Nanning, Shanghai-Pudong Etihad Crystal Cargo Abu Dhabi, Bangalore, Chennai Lufthansa Cargo Frankfurt, Delhi, Mumbai Qatar Airways Cargo[8] Doha Saudi Arabian Airlines Cargo[9] Dammam Singapore Airlines Cargo[10] Amsterdam, Chennai, Sharjah, Singapore Accidents and incidents
On August 4, 1984, a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight from Chittagong crashed in the swamps near Shah Jalal Airport.[11] All 45 passengers and 4 crew of the Fokker F27 died. The flight was piloted by Kaniz Fatema Roksana, the first lady commercial pilot of Bangladesh.
On May 25, 2008, Saudi Arabian Airlines Flight SV806 from Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz Airport, Medina, made an unscheduled landing. During the roll the tower controller reported that he saw a fire on the right-hand wing. Upon exiting runway 14, the crew received a fire indication for engine number three. The fire extinguisher was activated, and all engines were shut down. The Boeing 747-357, which had been charred beyond repair, was successfully evacuated.[12] Only minor injuries had been incured.[13] An investigation determined that there had been a fuel leak where the fuel enters the front spar for engine number three.[12]
On March 22, 2010, a Lockheed L-1011 belonging to cargo airline Sky Capital Airlines, made an emergency landing due to engine fire caused by technical glitches. Nobody was injured, and the plane landed safely.[14]
On 20 October, 2011 a Pakistani woman named Shameem Naz, 47, was arrested from the airport for carrying fake Indian currency amounting to RS. 4,800,000. Police claim she is a part of an international counterfeit currency ring which uses Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan as smuggling routes. She arrived at Dhaka from Abu Dhabi on Etihad Airways flight 258. She was arrested at about 4:00am from the parking area of the airport.[15]
Access
The airport is connected to the Dhaka by the Tongi Diversion Road.[16] The nearest hotel near Shahjalal International is the Dhaka Regency Hotel.[17]
Gallery
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Hangars at Shahjalal International Airport where aircraft are stored and maintained.
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Biman's Boeing 777-200ER being loaded for its maiden commercial flight at Shahjalal International Airport, Bangladesh. (2010)
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The VIP lounge-2, one of four VIP lounges of Shahjalal International Airport.
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A GMG airlines aircraft waits at the runway on a rainy day.
References
- ^ "Aerodrome Information: Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka". Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh. http://www.caab.gov.bd/adinfo/adinfo1zia.html.
- ^ "Aerodrome Information: Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka (continued)". Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh. http://www.caab.gov.bd/adinfo/adinfo3zia.html.
- ^ a b "Airports in Bangladesh". Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh. http://www.caab.gov.bd/adinfo/airports.html.
- ^ "Dhaka - Zia International Airport (DAC)". World Executive. OE Interactive. http://www.worldexecutive.com/locations/asia_pacific/bangladesh/dhaka/airports.html.
- ^ "Biman's Destination: International Destinations". Biman Bangladesh Airlines. http://biman-airlines.com/our-network/.
- ^ Ahmed, Ershad (16 November 2006). "Zia International Airport, Dhaka". http://dhakadailyphoto.blogspot.com/2006/11/zia-international-airport-dhaka.html.[unreliable source?]
- ^ "Worldwide Timetable Effective from October 2010 to March 2011" (pdf). British Airways World Cargo. http://www.baworldcargo.com/schedule/schedule_w2010.pdf. Retrieved 31 January 2011.
- ^ "Cargo Route Map" (pdf). Qatar Airways Cargo. http://www.qrcargo.com/images/CARGO_route_map.jpg. Retrieved 31 January 2011.
- ^ "Freighter Schedules from Asia, Period 22 January 2011 - 31 March 2011" (pdf). Saudi Airlines Cargo. http://www.saudiacargo.com/Schedules/22JAN-31MAR/FROM%20ASIA.pdf. Retrieved 31 January 2011.
- ^ Singapore Airlines Cargo Reinstates Freighter Flights to Dhaka
- ^ "49 Die in Bangladesh As Plane Plunges". The New York Times. Reuters. 4 August 1984. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C02E1DB1738F935A3575BC0A962948260&n=Top%2fNews%2fInternational%2fCountries%20and%20Territories%2fBangladesh. Retrieved 23 January 2008.
- ^ a b "ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 747-357 TF-ARS Dhaka-Zia International Airport (DAC)". Aircraft Safety Network. http://www.aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20080325-0. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
- ^ "Saudi plane catches fire at ZIA". The Daily Star (STAR). 2008-03-26. http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=29352. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
- ^ "Cargo aircraft catches fire at Shahjalal Airport". The Daily Star (Mediastar). 23 March 2010. http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=131262. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
- ^ "Women arrested at Shahjalal Airport". The Daily Star (Mediastar). 21 October 2011. http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=207412. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
- ^ Dhaka Airport Road. Google Maps.
- ^ Welcome to Dhaka Regency Hotel. Dhaka Regency Hotel & Resort.
External links
- Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh: Airports
- Aerodrome information at the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh
- Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport Live Flight Tracking
- Airport Armed Police
Airports in BangladeshInternational Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka (DAC) · Shah Amanat International Airport, Chittagong (CGP) · Osmani International Airport, Sylhet (ZYL)Domestic Jessore Airport, Jessore (JSR) · Cox's Bazar Airport, Cox's Bazar (CXB) · Barisal Airport, Barisal (BZL) · Shah Makhdum Airport, Rajshahi (RJH) · Saidpur Airport, Saidpur (SPD) · Khan Jahan Ali Airport, Bagerhat (under construction)STOL (Short Take-off and Landing) ports Tejgaon STOLport · Comilla STOLport · Bogra STOLport · Thakurgaon STOLport · Lalmonirhat STOLport · Shamshernagar STOLport · Ishurdi STOLportUnused Airports Sandwip Airport · Chakaria Airport · Feni Airport · Rajendrapur Airport · Maulvi Bazar Airport · Ishwardi Airport Division · Rasulpur Airport · Sirajganj Airport · Pahar Kanchanpur AirportAirport names shown in bold have scheduled passenger service on commercial airlines. Categories:- Airports in Bangladesh
- Airports established in 1941
- Buildings and structures in Dhaka
- Transport in Bangladesh
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