Country needs a roadmap to become aviation hub

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said Bangladesh should formulate a roadmap considering its geo-strategic advantage to make the country an aviation hub. 

Bangladesh aspires to become an aviation hub, she said in a video statement aired at the inaugural session of the first-ever Bangladesh Aviation Summit organised by the civil aviation and tourism ministry in collaboration with the UK and France at a city hotel.

The premier said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman undertook measures to turn the country into an aviation hub to connect the East and the West capitalising on Bangladesh's geographical location just after achieving the membership of the International Civil Aviation Organization in 1973.

"We have undertaken several measures to support the development of an aviation hub. During the last one decade, we implemented a host of projects to upgrade our airports, airport security and ground handling," she said.

"The government is going to introduce an e-visa system which will also facilitate and expedite the flow of passengers visiting Bangladesh for business or tourism," she said.

A promising aviation industry requires skilled manpower, she said, adding, "Our youth must have the opportunities to be trained to become pilots, aeronautical engineers, mechanics, crew members and much more."

She said, "The aviation partnership proposed by the UK and France, through Airbus, to support us in our journey is very crucial."

Sheikh Hasina said, "The transformation of our economy helped boost the travel opportunities for our people and open up new routes and markets for our airlines."

When Bangladesh turns into an upper middle-income country by 2031 and a developed country by 2041, the aviation market will have further expanded, she said.

The premier said as the economy of Bangladesh has grown, so has the importance of air cargo.

"The air cargo market of Bangladesh is rapidly growing at 8 per cent per year - three times the world average," she said.

"This underlines the strong demand for a dedicated national cargo operation in our country. With all of this in mind, there are areas where aviation actors need to do more," she said.

PM's Private Industry and Investment Affairs Adviser Salman F Rahman, State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism M Mahbub Ali and British lawmaker Rushanara Ali, among others, spoke at the summit.