Tk 1,568cr project to expand runway

The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) and a Chinese joint venture yesterday signed a deal for the expansion of the runway of Cox's Bazar airport.

After the completion of the project worth Tk 1,568.86 crore, the runway will be the longest in the country, allowing wide-bodied aircraft like Boeing 777-300ER and Boeing 747-400 to land.

After the expansion by 1,700 feet, total length of the runway will be 11,700 feet, CAAB said in a press release.

Air Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman, CAAB chairman, and Yang Zhijun, authorised representative of the joint venture named Changjiang Yichang Waterway Engineering Bureau (CYWEB) - China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), signed the deal on behalf of their organisations.

The government last year took an initiative to upgrade the runway of Cox's Bazar airport to international standards and offer foreign holidaymakers hassle-free trips to the town with the world's longest unbroken sea beach.

The project will be implemented from the government's own fund.