Osmani International Airport

Osmani International Airport
IATA: ZYL – ICAO: VGSY ZYL Location of airport in Bangladesh
Summary
Airport type		Public
Operator		Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh
Location		Sylhet
Elevation AMSL		50 ft / 15 m
Coordinates		24°57′48″N 91°52′01″E / 24.96333°N 91.86694°E / 24.96333; 91.86694Coordinates: 24°57′48″N 91°52′01″E / 24.96333°N 91.86694°E / 24.96333; 91.86694
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	ft	m
11/29	10,500	3,200	Asphalt/Concrete

Osmani International Airport (IATA: ZYL, ICAO: VGSY) (Bengali: ওসমানী আন্তর্জাতিক বিমানবন্দর) is located 5 miles north-east of Sylhet in Bangladesh serving as the country's third International Airport. The airport is operated by the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) and is served by Biman Bangladesh Airlines, the national airline which at one point earned most of its revenue from this airport,^[1] GMG Airlines, the first private airline in Bangladesh, United Airways (Bangladesh) and Royal Bengal Airline, British-Bangladeshi owned airlines operating domestic services in Bangladesh.

The vast majority of passengers using the airport are expatriate Bangladeshis and their descendants from the Sylhet Division living in the United Kingdom.

History

The old building of Osmani International Airport

Osmani International Airport was built during British rule of the Indian Subcontinent, partly to check Japanese aggression from Burma.

The airport was formerly known as Sylhet Civil Airport but was re-named after General M A G Osmani, a Bangladeshi Independence War hero. General Osmani was born in Sylhet in 1918 and served as the Supreme Commander of the Mukti Bahini (Freedom Force) and Bangladesh Armed Forces during the Bangladesh Liberation War.

Expansion

The airport was initially served by domestic flights from Shahjalal International Airport by the country's national airline Biman Bangladesh Airlines. After many years of lobbying by expatriates living in the UK, limited expansion of the airport was carried out to enable medium-sized aircraft, such as the Airbus A310 used by Biman, to operate. The work was completed in October 2002 and the airport was designated an international airport by the government. However, the airport was not up to international standards to be capable of fully accommodating international flights due to many shortcomings with the instrument landing system and runway lighting system and was seen as a move to stave off pressure by the government.

Two boarding bridge just installed on new appron.

Nevertheless, on 3 November 2002, the airport received its first international arrival. Biman flight BG020 from Kuwait via Abu Dhabi landed at 10:05 with 215 passengers en-route to Dhaka.^[2] The disembarking passengers on the inaugraul flight were greeted by then Finance & Planning Minister, M Saifur Rahman and State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism, Mir Mohammad Nasiruddin. For a brief period, Biman also operated a direct service from London but was later re-routed via Dhaka.

Interior view of Osmani international airport.

Additional expansion of the runway and improvements to the runway lighting and airport facilities were commenced in 2004 to enable wide-bodied aircraft to safely land and takeoff from the airport.^[3][4]

The South Asia Transport and Trade Facilitation Conference report of 2006 (by the United States Trade and Development Agency) noted that the development of the airport "up to the standards of [an] international airport" to "encourage private sector participation in air transport" were projects that were under consideration by the government.^[5]

Work started in 2006 to upgrade the terminal facilities to enable handling of international flights. The improvements include construction of a new terminal building, two Jetways and a taxi-way.^[6] In May 2007, the foreign affairs adviser, informed journalists that the works were on scheduled for completion in June 2007.^[7] He also confirmed that Biman will be operating Hajj flights directly from the airport during the Hajj season later in 2007.^[8] However, the runway expansion works had not been completed in June with the foreign affairs adviser indicating in August that "minor dressing work" still remained.^[9] The work was finally finished in December 2008.^[10][11] A new budget has been passed that said that the airport is getting a new refueling system,expanding the airports and the runway and adding two new more runways,it is getting new instruments for control tower and runway, new terminal, 6 more jet ways,and lighting instruments for all runway the project is supposed to start in 2011 and suppose to end at 2014 these new improvements will turn the airport into a true new international airport, it is said to that Antonov An-225,Boeing 747-8 or even any larger aircraft then that could land easily.

Airlines and destinations

Airlines	Destinations
Biman Bangladesh Airlines	Abu Dhabi, Cox's Bazar, Dhaka, Dubai, Jeddah, London- Heathrow, Muscat, Riyadh
United Airways	Dhaka, London-Gatwick
Regent Airways	Dhaka

Incidents

On 2nd of August, 2011 a London bound flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying 171 passengers escaped an accident, when a bird suddenly entered into a blade of the BG 001 flight at about 6:15am when it was taking off. The aircraft was forced to return to runway due to acute jerking following the incident. All passengers were safe and unhurt.

References

World War II portal

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

1. ^ "Sylhet Osmani airport a nightmare for passengers". The Daily Star. 2003-07-13. http://www.thedailystar.net/2003/07/13/d30713070144.htm. Retrieved 2007-05-23. 
2. ^ "Biman launches Kuwait-Sylhet flight". Aviatour. 2002-11-22. http://www.weeklyholiday.net/221102/avi.html. 
3. ^ "Development of Osmani International Airport". Central Procurement Technical Unit. April 2005. http://www.cptu.gov.bd/ShowCADetail.aspx?CAID=731. 
4. ^ "Upgraded Osmani International Airport opens up for traffic". South Asia Logistics. 2006-03-13. http://www.southasialogistics.com/topnews.asp?id=21429&p=0. 
5. ^ "2006 South Asia Transport and Trade Facilitation Conference report (PDF)" (PDF). US Trade and Development Agency. 2005-10-11. http://mba.tuck.dartmouth.edu/digital/Research/AcademicPublications/AsiaTransportAnalysis.pdf. 
6. ^ "Osmani Airport expansion work begins in July". The Daily Star. 2004-05-13. http://www.thedailystar.net/2004/05/13/d40513070476.htm. 
7. ^ "Construction work of Osmani International Airport contract". Central Procurement Technical Unit. April 2006. http://www.cptu.gov.bd/ShowCADetail.aspx?CAID=909. 
8. ^ "Runway expansion at Osmani Airport nearing completion". New Age. 2007-05-12. http://www.newagebd.com/2007/may/12/front.html#26. Retrieved 2007-05-14. 
9. ^ "ZIA soon to get upgraded runway". The Bangladesh Monitor. 2007-08-01. Archived from the original on 2007-12-12. http://web.archive.org/web/20071212040657/http://www.bangladeshmonitor.net/aviation_story.php?recordID=1049. Retrieved 2007-08-03. 
10. ^ "Operation of wide-bodied planes starts in Sylhet today". The New Nation. 2008-12-15. http://www.newagebd.com/2008/dec/15/nat.html. Retrieved 2008-12-15. 
11. ^ "Modernised Terminal of Osmany Int'l Airport opens". The Bangladesh Monitor. 2007-01-01. http://www.bangladeshmonitor.net/aviation_story.php?recordID=1803. Retrieved 2009-01-05. ^{[dead link]}

• CAAB asks Padma to set up jet refuelling. South Asian Media Net. 2007-11-01.
• CAAB requests Padma to set up jet refuelling facility at Osmani. New Age. 2007-11-01.

External links

• Airport information for VGSY at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.
• Aviation Safety Network: Sylhet Civil Airport
• Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh: Airports
• Live Flight Status