Ctg chamber seeks incentives for Shah Amanat airport

The Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) has urged the government to introduce concessional tariffs, round-the-clock operations, and transit and refuelling facilities at Shah Amanat International Airport to unlock its full potential.

In a letter sent to Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury on August 15, CCCI President Mohammed Amirul Haque proposed a 40 percent concession on airport facility charges, along with permission for passengers to board and disembark during long-haul flight stopovers.

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He also called for transit and refuelling facilities for long-haul flights, as well as the development of a cargo village, inland container depots (ICDs), and container freight stations (CFSs) near the airport to establish it as a regional aviation and logistics hub.

“Private businesses have the ability to invest, and they are ready to do so to develop infrastructure under public-private partnership, build-own-operate, or build-own-operate-transfer arrangements,” Amirul said in the letter.

The CCCI said developing the airport as an east-west aviation gateway and a hub for tourism and logistics could help reduce the concentration of air traffic in Dhaka.

Citing the government’s efforts to attract users to Mongla Port through reduced tariffs, the trade body called for similar incentives to boost the airport’s use.

A lucrative stimulus package or concessional tariff needs to be introduced to attract more passengers and cargo and maximise the airport’s capacity, the letter said.

Amirul reaffirmed the business community’s support for the government’s vision of transforming Bangladesh into a trillion-dollar economy by 2034 and establishing Chattogram as a regional investment and logistics hub.