City Desk :
After four decades, a new radar has been installed at Dhaka’s Shahjalal International Airport to enhance the surveillance capacity of Bangladesh’s airspace. Although the project is only partially complete, the country’s airspace is now being monitored experimentally with this radar. This modern system also covers a large area of the Bay of Bengal.
Experts say once the new radar system is fully operational, surveillance in the country’s airspace will be easier, faster, and more accurate, reports bdnews24.com.
It is also expected to generate significant revenue from over-flying fees.
Air Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman, the immediate past chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh, or CAAB, told bdnews24.com that about 80 to 85 percent of the radar installation work at the airport has been completed. Now that the radar has been deployed, it will take until February-March 2025 to become fully functional.
The installation of the new radar is progressing rapidly at the airport. Moreover, the ongoing work on the Air Traffic Control or ATC tower and operation building at the airport is also nearing completion.
However, more time is needed to fully benefit from this radar and navigation system. Other tasks, including automation with the radar system, should be completed by the end of this year.
The logistics supplier for the project is Thales of France, represented locally by Aeroness International Limited.
Mahbubul Anam, the director of Aeroness, told bdnews24.com that the project would be completed within the stipulated time.
He highlighted that the world’s most advanced radar system, featuring facilities like Helmet, AD, SB, and multilateration, can detect the exact location of aircraft. Accurate images of the position and speed of all types of aircraft will be captured in the airspace up to 280 nautical miles from Dhaka.
According to CAAB, an initiative was launched in 2005 to replace the radar installed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport that has been in place since 1980.
In 2012, a company proposed an initial investment of Tk 3.3 billion to install radars under a public-private partnership or PPP model.
In September 2013, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the project for implementation under PPP.
Following the approval, four companies participated in the project tender in 2015.
Initially, CAAB chose Karim Associates as the contractor. However, due to controversies and irregularities surrounding the firm, the initiative was ultimately cancelled.
Later, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina decided to pursue a government-to-government or G2G arrangement to install the radars after discussing the matter with French President Emmanuel Macron.
In April 2021, the government approved a project titled “Installation of RADAR including CNS-ATM (Communication Navigation and Surveillance – Air Traffic Management) System” at Shahjalal International Airport.
The Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase endorsed the project on Jun 8, 2021, with an estimated cost of approximately Tk 7.3 billion. This funding is being provided from CAAB’s resources. In October 2021, CAAB signed an agreement with the French company Thales to execute the project.
