Direct cargo flights from port city not before Feb

• Initial July 2025 launch missed due to bureaucratic delays
• Tk 70cr project taken up to upgrade Shah Amanat airport
• Tender process for scanners, cold storage, cargo shed still underway
• Korean, Chinese companies show interest in operating flights
• Two weekly flights planned, serving European destinations via Uzbekistan

Direct cargo flights from Chattogram's Shah Amanat International Airport are expected to begin in February next year -- six months later than the initial timeline -- due to bureaucratic sluggishness.

Earlier on April 8, following India's abrupt suspension of transshipment facilities to Bangladesh's export cargo, the government said direct cargo flights would take off from the port city's airport in July -- an announcement that calmed the nerves of garment exporters.

The route, through which garment consignments were carried overland to India via the Benapole-Petrapole border and then shipped worldwide through the Kolkata and Delhi airports, offered faster service and lower costs than the overstretched Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka.

In lean seasons, as much as 18 percent of Bangladesh's garment air shipments were done through the route, according to industry estimates.

To reassure the jittery garment exporters, the government announced boosting its air cargo capacity by introducing direct flights from Sylhet and Chattogram.

To that end, the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) took up a Tk 70 crore project to upgrade the facilities at the country's second-largest international airport.

Under the project, two Explosive Detection System (EDS) scanners would be procured, a cold storage facility would be built and a modern cargo shed would be set up.

But the airport is yet to acquire the facilities needed for international cargo shipment due to bureaucratic sluggishness, The Daily Star has learnt from people with knowledge of the matter.

The authorities have just initiated the tender process for each of the components.

"The tender process is mandatory under the government's procurement policy, so it is taking time," said a CAAB official asking not to be named.

Cargo operations could start from February next year, said Mohammad Ibrahim Khalil, public relations officer of Shah Amanat International Airport.

A Korean company, Young Wang Group, has already expressed interest in operating direct cargo flights from Chattogram, The Daily Star has learnt from people informed with the proceedings.

The company has assured the CAAB that it will provide an EDS scanner to improve the airport's security.

In addition, a Chinese airline has also shown interest in launching flights. Initially, two weekly cargo flights will be operated that can serve the European destinations via Uzbekistan.

The government's initiative to launch direct cargo flights from Chattogram will undoubtedly open a new door of opportunities, said Khairul Alam Sujan, vice-president of the Bangladesh Freight Forwarders Association.

"But to turn this potential into reality, the airport's infrastructure and cargo handling capacity must be enhanced."