Ishwardi (Pabna) Correspondent :
The people of Ishwardi, Pabna, Natore and Kushtia have been demanding for some time to reopen the closed airport. The government’s mega Rooppur Nuclear Power Project senior authorities and foreigners also demanded the airport to be opened soon.
Although the Awami League’s manifesto for the parliamentary elections of 2018 and re-election in 2020 mentioned the issue of opening the airport, the government did not take any action in this regard for a long time. After the election of the local MP, the heroic freedom fighter Alhaj Nuruzzaman Biswas, he started raising proposals in the National Parliament and lobbying the relevant departments of the government. In view of this, a team checked the feasibility and on October 15, Minister of State for Aviation and Tourism Mahbub Ali visited Ishwardi Airport on the ground. Later, on November 28, 2021, Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Tourism Mahbub Ali said in the National Parliament that the government is planning to renovate and reopen Ishwardi Airport in view of the demands of various quarters.After almost nine months have passed, no visible action has been taken regarding the opening of the airport. The matter is still confined to the discussion and consideration of the Civil Aviation Authority. The issue of opening Ishwardi Airport has not yet come out of the circle of discussion and consideration.
Last on the afternoon of August 22, Minister of Science and Technology Architect Yafes Osman, President of Estimated Accounts Committee Abdus Shahid MP and veteran freedom fighter of Pabna-4 constituency Alhaj Nuruzzaman Biswas agreed to open the airport on an urgent basis in the Ruppur nuclear power project in the afternoon of August 22. In the meeting, they sought the intervention of the Prime Minister to resolve the issue.
A total of 436.65 acres of land was acquired for Ishwardi Airport. Out of which 145.91 acres are occupied by Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh. It consists of airport terminal buildings, runways, taxiways, aprons, navigation and communication equipment, officers’ quarters and access roads to the airport. The remaining 290.74 acres of land is currently in the possession of the Bangladesh Army. State Minister Mahbub Ali mentioned in the Parliament that if the land is handed over to CAAB, Ishwardi Airport will be renovated and reopened.
Airport was established at Ishwardi in Pabna during British rule. The first airport was closed in 1987 due to various reasons including losses. After being closed for a long time, the airport was re-opened in 1994 after renovation at a cost of about 4 crore rupees. After 17 years in 2013, United Airways started operating flights from Ishwardi Airport. But after 6 months and 11 days of operation it was closed again on 29 May 2014. However, helicopters and Air Force training aircraft have occasionally been seen using it. But now the situation is different according to those concerned in the aviation sector.
Alexey Deiri, Vice President of JSC ASE of Russia and Russian Project Director of the Rooppur project, said, “We support the idea of establishing an air link between Dhaka and Ishwardi. This will help our people save valuable time and avoid hassles.”
In this regard, US-Bangla Airlines Head of Marketing and Sales M Shafiqul Islam said, “If CAAB extends the runway of Ishwardi airport by just 500 meters, then we can conduct fight operations to and from the airport with small aircraft like ATR 72-600.” He claimed that there is a huge demand for air travel on this route. which is currently required.
In this regard, Civil Aviation Authority Member (Operation and Planning) Air Commodore Sadiqur Rahman Chowdhury told The New Nation that the airport was closed due to various reasons. We are being asked from different places including public representatives to start. This is being discussed. Airlines have expressed interest. The feasibility will be checked keeping in mind whether it will conflict with the Rooppur nuclear plant. Many factors and locations are also problematic. A systematic process is under discussion and consideration is also being given to the implementation.
