Having a single runway is being considered a big barrier to maximise the potentiality of the third terminal at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in the capital.
Although there is a need to build a new independent runway at the HSIA, it is an impossible task as there is no sufficient space for it.
The HSIA currently handles about 10 to 11 million passengers annually, official sources said.
According to a survey by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the number of passengers at the country's main airport is growing at an annual rate of about 7.88 per cent.
In order to face the growing demand of passengers, the Civil Aviation Authority Bangladesh (CAAB) is building a new terminal at the HSIA.
After the completion of the terminal, handling capacity of passengers will increase and then additional flights would be required definitely.
According to the JICA report, a demand of handling 0.2 million aircrafts by the HSIA will be created by 2030.
However, stakeholders said that it is not possible to handle such a large number of flights with a single runway.
As a result, the potential for huge revenue generation from the third terminal will be widely reduced due to having a single runway.
In order to maximise the potentiality of the third terminal, another independent runway is required for the HSIA. However, the fact is that it is an impossible task for the authority concerned as there is no sufficient space to build a new independent runway there.
Runways should be at least 1,034 metres apart for planes to take off or land simultaneously using the Instrument Landing System (ILS), according to rules set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation.
But, if another runway is built at the HSIA, there will be only a 300-metre space between the two runways.
In this circumstance, the government has planned to build a dependent runway at the HSIA to ease the pressure of possible increase of air traffic following the construction of the third terminal. The CAAB already conducted a feasibility study on the second runway and presented its findings to the Civil Aviation Ministry last year.
CAAB Chairman Air Vice-Marshal M Mafidur Rahman told the FE that physical work on the second runway is likely to begin at 2025 subject to required financial consolidation.
However, since the runways will be very close to each other due to space constraints, two planes will not be able to land or take off simultaneously.
Now planes often have to wait in queues on the taxiway for 30 to 40 minutes during takeoffs. Landing also gets delayed sometimes because of air traffic at the HSIA.
The long wait makes it hard for airlines to maintain flight schedules and it increases operational costs.
When the third terminal is opened, the frequency of flights will increase, and the situation will worsen.
In the meantime, some foreign airlines have sought permission to operate flights to and from Dhaka and some airlines have sent applications to CAAB for increasing their number of flights, sources said.
Aviation analyst Wing Commander (retd) ATM Nazrul Islam told the FE that a dependent runway cannot make a benefit proportionate to the cost of its construction.
He further said, "The airport should have had space for two independent runways. Not leaving the space was a big mistake."
ATM Nazrul Islam suggests utilizing the maximum capacity of the existing runway. Mafidur Rahman said a defended runway will also benefit us in many ways. The planned new runway's advantage is when one plane lands, another will be able to prepare for takeoff without delay.
Besides, if one runway is closed due to an emergency, the other will be available, explains the CAAB chairman. The CAAB is also working to make optimum utilization of the resources to handle the additional number of planes and passengers.
The CAAB chairman further said, "Dubai air port started its journey with a single runway and it handled 50 million flyers a year with a single runway. It was possible through efficient management. We handle only 11 million. If we can develop infrastructure and management, we will be able to serve 15 to 16 million passengers with the current runway."
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