No more hassles for ad hoc flights

The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh has deployed an automated system at all airports in the country, cutting down on the time foreign operators require to obtain permission for an unscheduled flight.

M Naim Hassan, chairman of the Caab, inaugurated the permit operation database (POD) on July 30, according to a statement from the authority.

In the current system, it normally takes more than three to five days before a foreign operator gets the approval for a single unscheduled flight as the request has to be vetted at about 17 desks.

With the POD, operators can now electronically submit their application 24/7 and the system will automatically validate and issue the flight permit in less than a few hours.

In addition, the system also performs a background check of all personnel in an aircraft from several international blacklist agencies such as the Central Intelligence Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Interpol, the Singapore Terrorism Suppression, and the Switzerland Restricted List, said ASL Systems Ltd, the local IT firm that has developed the solution, in another statement. 

The technology has been implemented at all airports and airspace, it said.  The Caab said the new system further enhances Bangladesh's national security efforts of keeping the country and its airspace safe from terrorists. The POD will also generate some additional revenue for the Caab, it said.