The runway expansion works of Cox's Bazar Airport will begin on Sunday as part of a project to make it an international standard one.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to officially inaugurate the expansion works through a video conference on the day, reports BSS.
The government has taken the initiative to upgrade the airport by extending its runway by reclaiming land from the sea so that international flights operated by wide-body aircraft can land at the airport.
After completion of the project, the new 10,700 feet runway will allow wide-bodied aircraft like Boeing 777 and 747 to operate at the airport paving the way for the operation of international flights.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) signed a deal for the project with the Chinese joint venture of Changjiang Yichang Waterway Engineering Bureau (CYWEB) and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) on February 9 this year.
The project is scheduled to be completed by May 2024 with an estimated cost of Taka 15.69 billion. The project was approved by the government on November 4, 2018.
The detailed design and construction of temporary facilities, including a site office, road networks, jetty, and concrete batching plant had been substantially completed.
The main construction work would begin after the prime minister laid the foundation stone of the project, CAAB officials said
State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism M Mahbub Ali said after the completion of the project, tourists from different countries can directly reach Cox’s Bazar as a tourist destination.
He said the project is an important advancement towards the government’s vision to make Cox’s Bazar a single tourism destination for the inbound tourists here.