| Shahjalal International Airport হজরত শাহজালাল আন্তর্জাতিক বিমানবন্দর Hôjrot Shahjalal Antorjatik Bimanbôndor |
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| Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport | |||
| IATA: DAC – ICAO: VGHS
DAC
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| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Owner | Bangladesh Government | ||
| Operator | Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh | ||
| Serves | Dhaka | ||
| Location | Kurmitola | ||
| Hub for | Biman Bangladesh Airlines GMG Airlines United Airways Regent Airways |
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| Elevation AMSL | 27 ft / 8 m | ||
| Website | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| m | ft | ||
| 14/32 | 3,200 | 10,500 | Concrete/Asphalt |
| Source: Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh[1][2] | |||
Official full name Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport[3] (formerly Zia International Airport) (IATA: DAC, ICAO: VGHS) (Bengali: হজরত শাহজালাল আন্তর্জাতিক বিমানবন্দর Hôjrot Shahjalal Antorjatik Bimanbôndor), located in the capital Dhaka, is the largest airport in Bangladesh. It started operations in 1980, taking over as the country's sole international airport from Tejgaon Airport. It is the home base and hub of all airlines of Bangladesh, including Biman Bangladesh Airlines, GMG Airlines, and United Airways.[3]
The airport has an area of 1,981 acres (802 ha). About 66% of the country's international and domestic arrivals and departures occur through this airport, while the country's second largest airport, Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong, accounts for nearly 21% of passengers. Approximately 4 million international and 2 million domestic passengers and 150,000 tons of freight and mail pass through the airport annually.[4] The airport has a capacity of 8 million passengers per year,[5][6] and is predicted by the CAAB to be enough until 2026.[7]
Shahjalal International Airport connects Bangladesh with many major cities of the world; Biman Bangladesh Airlines flies internationally from the airport to 13 cities in Europe and Asia.[8]
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The airport is located in Kurmitola; and was originally 11 NM (20 km; 13 mi) north of the capital Dhaka.[9] It lies on the 8-laned Aiport Road[9] On the north of the airport lies Uttara (Dhaka) and Gazipur, and at its south is Dhaka city. The railway station opposite to the airport is named Airport Station.[10]
Due to the expansion of the city, the airport has been engulfed by the city, prompting the government to consider relocating it elsewhere.[5]
In 1941, during the second world war, the British government built a landing strip at Kurmitola, several kilometers north of Tejgaon, as an extra landing strip for the Tejgaon Airport, which at the time was a military airport, to operate warplanes towards the war fields of Kohima (Assam) and Burmese war theatres.[11][12]
After the creation of Pakistan in 1947, Tejgaon Airport became the first civil airport in what was then East Pakistan, current day Bangladesh. Following the independence of Bangladesh, to accommodate the increase in air traffic, a new airport was constructed on the Kurmitola airstrip. In 1981, the airport was officially inaugurated by President Abdus Sattar. It was renamed the Zia International Airport, after the assassination of president Ziaur Rahman.
In 1992, the airport terminal area experienced rapid expansion with addition of boarding bridges and equipment. A multistorey car park with space for 500 cars was also built at this time.
In 2010 the name was changed from Zia International Airport to Shah Jalal International Airport by the Bangladeshi government, named after one of Bangladesh's most respected Sufi saints, Shah Jalal.[13]
On December 6th, 2011, ZA006, a Boeing 787 stopped for fuel at Shahjalal International Airport during a distance, speed, and endurance record attempt. This aircraft, powered by General Electric GEnx engines, had flown 10,710 nautical miles (19,830 km) non-stop from Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington eastward to Shahjalal International Airport, setting a new world distance record for aircraft in the 787's weight class, which is between 440,000 pounds (200,000 kg) and 550,000 pounds (250,000 kg). This flight surpassed the previous distance record of 9,127 nautical miles (16,903 km), set in 2002 by an Airbus A330. The aircraft then continued eastbound from Dhaka to return to Boeing Field, setting a world-circling speed record of 42 hours, 27 minutes.[14]
The airport consists of three major terminals, T1 and T2 for international flights and a third terminal (known as Domestic Terminal) for domestic flights. The arrivals deck is the ground floor and the upper floor is the departures hall. A VIP terminal is built only about 200 metres from the main gate and is only used occasionally.
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Afriqiyah Airways | Tripoli |
| Air Arabia | Sharjah |
| Air India | Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai |
| Bahrain Air | Bahrain |
| Bangkok Airways | Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi |
| Biman Bangladesh Airlines | Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Chittagong, Colombo, Cox's Bazar, Dammam, Delhi, Doha, Dubai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Jeddah, Karachi, Kathmandu, Kolkata, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait, London-Heathrow, Manchester, Milan-Malpensa, Muscat, Riyadh, Rome-Fiumicino, Singapore, Sylhet, |
| China Southern Airlines | Guangzhou, Shanghai-Pudong |
| Dragonair | Hong Kong |
| Druk Air | Kathmandu, Paro |
| Emirates | Dubai |
| Etihad Airways | Abu Dhabi |
| Flydubai | Dubai |
| GMG Airlines | Chittagong, Kolkata |
| Gulf Air | Bahrain |
| Jet Airways | Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata |
| Kingfisher Airlines | Kolkata |
| Kuwait Airways | Kuwait |
| Malaysia Airlines | Kuala Lumpur |
| Mihin Lanka | Colombo |
| Oman Air | Muscat |
| Pakistan International Airlines | Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore |
| Qatar Airways | Doha |
| RAK Airways | Ras Al Khaimah |
| Regent Airways | Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Jessore, Sylhet |
| Saudi Arabian Airlines | Dammam, Jeddah, Riyadh, Madinah |
| Silk Air | Singapore [begins 9 March 2012] [15] |
| Singapore Airlines | Singapore |
| Thai Airways International | Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi |
| Tiger Airways | Singapore |
| Turkish Airlines | Istanbul-Atatürk, Karachi |
| United Airways | Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Dubai, Jeddah, Jessore, Kathmandu, Kolkata, Kuala Lumpur, London-Gatwick, Muscat(Begins in January), Rajshahi, Saidpur, Sylhet |
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| British Airways World Cargo[16] | Chennai, Frankfurt, London-Stansted, Zaragoza |
| Cathay Pacific Cargo | Hong Kong |
| China Cargo Airlines | Chongqing, Nanning, Shanghai-Pudong |
| Etihad Crystal Cargo | Abu Dhabi, Bangalore, Chennai |
| Lufthansa Cargo | Frankfurt, Delhi, Mumbai |
| Qatar Airways Cargo[17] | Doha |
| Saudi Arabian Airlines Cargo[18] | Dammam |
| Singapore Airlines Cargo[19] | Amsterdam, Chennai, Sharjah, Singapore |
On September 28, 1977, a Japan Airlines flight from Mumbai to Tokyo was hijacked by 5 Japanese Red Army terrorists shortly after takeoff, and forced the plane to land at then Zia International Airport.[20] The terrorists' demand of $6 million and release of 6 JRA terrorists from Japanese prison was met by the Japanese Prime Minister.[21] Bangladesh Air Force was deployed to control the situation in the ground and to facilitate negotiations.[20]
On August 4, 1984, a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight from Chittagong crashed in the swamps near Shah Jalal Airport.[22] All 45 passengers and 4 crew of the Fokker F27 died. The flight was piloted by Kaniz Fatema Roksana, the first woman commercial pilot of Bangladesh.
On May 25, 2008, Saudi Arabian Airlines Flight SV806 from Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz Airport, Medina, made an unscheduled landing. During the roll the tower controller reported that he saw fire on the starboard wing. Upon exiting runway 14, the crew received a fire indication for engine number three. The fire extinguisher was activated, and all engines were shut down. The Boeing 747-357, which had been charred beyond repair, was successfully evacuated.[23] Only minor injuries had been incured.[24] An investigation determined that there had been a fuel leak where the fuel enters the front spar for engine number three.[23]
On March 22, 2010, a Lockheed L-1011 belonging to cargo airline Sky Capital Airlines, made an emergency landing due to engine fire caused by technical glitches. Nobody was injured, and the plane landed safely.[25]
The airport is connected to the Dhaka by the Tongi Diversion Road.[26] The nearest hotel near Shahjalal International is the Dhaka Regency Hotel.[27]
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