Barisal Correspondent
Rashed Khan Menon, Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism and chairman of Workers Party, on Sunday assured that flight of national flag carrier airways Bangladesh Biman would be resumed on Barisal-Dhaka-Barisal sector soon.
Menon, who also native of the area, while visiting Barisal Airport and exchanging views with the elites and journalists there on Sunday morning told Barisal Airport is the gateway of southern region having unlimited opportunities for expanding the tourism industry.
So this airport would be expanded, developed, modernized and connected with vast national and international network not only for expanding tourism industry , but also to be a part of disaster management in this disaster-prone region.
Advocate Talukdar Md. Yunus, Advocate Sheikh Md. Tipu Sultan, Shawkat Hossain Hiron, AL lawmakers, Golam Sarwar, editor daily Samakal, Mahmud Hasan, chairman, Sukhendu Kumar Goswami, chief engineer, Air Commodore Saidul Islam, member operation of civil aviation, Nurul Amin, divisional commission, Sirajuddin Ahmed, AL leader and historian, Shohidul Alam, deputy commissioner Barisal, also present in the programme.
Mentionable Barisal Airport as an air strip on fifty acres of land was built in late sixties for operating pesticide spraying planes of agriculture department at Rahatmatpur in Babuganj, some 17 kilometers off the city.
Civil Aviation Authority later acquired more 110 acres of land for constructing an air strip in 1968 in a view to operate STOL (Short Take – Off and Landing) service on Dhaka -Barisal route which was 1800 feet long and 60 feet wide runway in 1971 which was heavily damaged in during liberation war.
Civil Aviation Authourity of Bangladesh (CAAB) expanded the 1800 ft runway to 6000 ft and its wideness from 60 ft to 100 ft, constructed modern terminal building with VIP and general passenger lounges, control tower, power supply system, fire fighting equipment, runway lighting arrangement and other necessary infrastructures and facilities in 1993-94 fiscal.
Bangladesh Biman from December 3, 1995 to November 2000, April 14, 2003 to November 13, 2005 and January 1, 2006 to November 16, 2006, private airliners Aero Bengal Airlines operated from this Airport on Dhaka-Barisal-Dhaka route from July 16, 1995-1998, Air Parabat for a short period in 1999, GMG Airlines for more than four years till 28 October 2006, United Airways from 28 September, 2008 to 5 May, 2009 also operated flights from this Airport.
The airport also used by the foreign cargo planes for lifting and sending huge relief materials sent by different countries to Sidr hit 11 southern districts after the devastating Sidr of 2007.
