Bangladesh
Radar Entire Bangladesh under advanced radar by May
Dhaka, Feb 17: The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) is working relentlessly to complete the work of commissioning a state-of-the-art radar system by May this year to detect all types of domestic and foreign aircraft flying over the country and keep the airspace safe and earn foreign currency.
A top official of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism (MoCAT) confirmed that the improved radar will enhance surveillance and secure territorial waters and airspace, as the government always promises to give top priority to protecting its sovereignty.
Another official of Communication, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS) under the country's aviation top body said that the airspace of capital Dhaka and Chittagong has already come under surveillance using the new radar on a partial basis.
He said it will take until May for the radar to be fully operational.
"Once operational, the country's entire airspace will come under surveillance," the official added.
As per CAAB data, the existing radar and navigation system at the airport was installed in the 1980. It does not track the entire airspace of the country, especially the area over the Bay of Bengal.
CAAB officials said that the initiative to replace the old radar at Dhaka Airport was taken in 2005.
A company, in 2012, made an initial proposal of Tk 330 crore to set up the radar under Public-Private Partnership (PPP).
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the implementation of the project on PPP later in September 2013.
When tenders were invited in 2015, four companies participated. After screening, the CAAB initially selected contracting firm Karim Associates. Later that initiative was cancelled.
The government, in April 2021, approved a project called installation of radar with CNS-ATM (Communication, Navigation and Surveillance-Air Traffic Management) system at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka.
Currently, the project is being implemented at a cost of Tk 730.13 crore with CAAB's own funding.
