Zia International Airport
Encyclopedia
Official full name Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (formerly Zia International Airport) ( Hôjrot Shahjalal Antorjatik Bimanbôndor), located in the capital Dhaka
, is the largest airport
in Bangladesh
. It started operations in 1980, taking over as the country's sole international airport from Tejgaon Airport
. It is the home base and hub of all airlines of Bangladesh, including Biman Bangladesh Airlines
, GMG Airlines
, and United Airways
.
The airport has an area of 1981 acres (801.7 ha). About 66% of the country's international and domestic arrivals and departures occur through this airport, while the country's second largest airport, Shah Amanat International Airport
in Chittagong
, accounts for nearly 21% of passengers. Approximately 4 million international and 2 million domestic passengers and 150,000 tons of freight and mail pass through the airport annually. The airport has a capacity of 8 million passengers per year, and is predicted by the CAAB to be enough until 2026.
Shahjalal International Airport connects Bangladesh with many major cities of the world; Biman Bangladesh Airlines
flies internationally from the airport to 13 cities in Europe and Asia.
. It lies on the 8-laned Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway, often called Airport Road. On the north of the airport lies Uttara (Dhaka) and Gazipur
, and at its south is Dhaka
City. The railway station opposite to the airport is named Airport Station
.
Due to the expansion of the city, the airport has been engulfed by the city, prompting the government to consider relocating it elsewhere.
, the British
government built a landing strip at Kurmitola, several kilometers north of Tejgaon, as an extra landing strip for the Tejgaon Airport
, which at the time was a military airport, to operate warplanes towards the war fields of Kohima (Assam
) and Burmese war theatres.
After the creation of Pakistan
in 1947, Tejgaon Airport
became the first civil airport in what was then East Pakistan, current day Bangladesh
. Following the independence of Bangladesh
, to accommodate the increase in air traffic, a new airport was constructed on the Kurmitola airstrip. In 1981, the airport was officially inaugurated by President
Abdus Sattar. It was renamed the Zia International Airport, after the assassination of president Ziaur Rahman
.
In 1992, the airport terminal area experienced rapid expansion with addition of boarding bridges and equipments. A multistorey car park with space for 500 cars was also built at this time.
In 2010 the name was changed from Zia International Airport to Shah Jalal International Airport by the Bangladeshi government, named after one of Bangladesh's most respected Sufi saints, Shah Jalal.
by 5 Japanese Red Army
terrorists shortly after takeoff, and forced the plane to land at then Zia International Airport. The terrorists' demand of $6 million and release of 6 JRA terrorists from Japanese prison was met by the Japanese Prime Minister. Bangladesh Air Force
was deployed to control the situation in the ground and to facilitate negotiations.
On August 4, 1984, a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight from Chittagong crashed in the swamps near Shah Jalal Airport. All 45 passengers and 4 crew of the Fokker F27
died. The flight was piloted by Kaniz Fatema Roksana, the first lady commercial pilot of Bangladesh.
On May 25, 2008, Saudi Arabian Airlines
Flight SV806 from Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz Airport
, Medina
, made an unscheduled landing. During the roll the tower controller reported that he saw a fire on the right-hand wing. Upon exiting runway 14, the crew received a fire indication for engine number three. The fire extinguisher was activated, and all engines were shut down. The Boeing 747-357
, which had been charred beyond repair, was successfully evacuated. Only minor injuries had been incured. An investigation determined that there had been a fuel leak where the fuel enters the front spar for engine number three.
On March 22, 2010, a Lockheed L-1011
belonging to cargo airline Sky Capital Airlines, made an emergency landing due to engine fire caused by technical glitches. Nobody was injured, and the plane landed safely.
by the Tongi Diversion Road. The nearest hotel
near Shahjalal International is the Dhaka Regency
Hotel.
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
, is the largest airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
in Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
. It started operations in 1980, taking over as the country's sole international airport from Tejgaon Airport
Tejgaon Airport
Tejgaon Airport in Dhaka, Bangladesh served as the country's sole international airport prior to the construction of Shahjalal International Airport....
. It is the home base and hub of all airlines of Bangladesh, including Biman Bangladesh Airlines
Biman Bangladesh Airlines
Biman Bangladesh Airlines , partly transcribed from English into Bengali and the other way around) is the flag carrier airline of Bangladesh. Its main hub is at Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, and also operates flights from Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong, earning revenue...
, GMG Airlines
GMG Airlines
GMG Airlines is a largest private airline of Bangladesh with its head office in the AAA Tower in Nikunjo-2 Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is Bangladesh's largest and oldest private airline operating domestic, regional, and international services, upholding the image of Bangladesh to the world...
, and United Airways
United Airways
United Airways is an airline of Bangladesh. Other airlines of similar name are:*United Airways Limited, a British airline that operated between 1934 and 1935*British United Airways, an airline operating from 1960 to 1970*British United Island Airways...
.
The airport has an area of 1981 acres (801.7 ha). About 66% of the country's international and domestic arrivals and departures occur through this airport, while the country's second largest airport, Shah Amanat International Airport
Shah Amanat International Airport
Shah Amanat International Airport , named after an Islamic saint, is an international airport serving Bangladesh's south-eastern port city of Chittagong and the Bangladesh Air Force. It is Bangladesh's second largest airport...
in Chittagong
Chittagong
Chittagong ) is a city in southeastern Bangladesh and the capital of an eponymous district and division. Built on the banks of the Karnaphuli River, the city is home to Bangladesh's busiest seaport and has a population of over 4.5 million, making it the second largest city in the country.A trading...
, accounts for nearly 21% of passengers. Approximately 4 million international and 2 million domestic passengers and 150,000 tons of freight and mail pass through the airport annually. The airport has a capacity of 8 million passengers per year, and is predicted by the CAAB to be enough until 2026.
Shahjalal International Airport connects Bangladesh with many major cities of the world; Biman Bangladesh Airlines
Biman Bangladesh Airlines
Biman Bangladesh Airlines , partly transcribed from English into Bengali and the other way around) is the flag carrier airline of Bangladesh. Its main hub is at Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, and also operates flights from Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong, earning revenue...
flies internationally from the airport to 13 cities in Europe and Asia.
Location
The airport is located in Kurmitola; and was originally 11 NM north of the capital DhakaDhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
. It lies on the 8-laned Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway, often called Airport Road. On the north of the airport lies Uttara (Dhaka) and Gazipur
Gazipur, Dhaka Division
Gazipur is a town located within the Gazipur Sadar sub-district of Gazipur District in the Dhaka Division of Bangladesh.Gazipur consists of 9 wards and 31 mahallas with an area of 49.32 km²...
, and at its south is Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
City. The railway station opposite to the airport is named Airport Station
Airport (Biman Bandar) Railway Station
Biman Bandar Railway Station is an important railway station in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. It is situated opposite to Shahjalal International Airport. It is located on the Airport Road...
.
Due to the expansion of the city, the airport has been engulfed by the city, prompting the government to consider relocating it elsewhere.
History
In 1941, during the second world warWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
government built a landing strip at Kurmitola, several kilometers north of Tejgaon, as an extra landing strip for the Tejgaon Airport
Tejgaon Airport
Tejgaon Airport in Dhaka, Bangladesh served as the country's sole international airport prior to the construction of Shahjalal International Airport....
, which at the time was a military airport, to operate warplanes towards the war fields of Kohima (Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
) and Burmese war theatres.
After the creation of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
in 1947, Tejgaon Airport
Tejgaon Airport
Tejgaon Airport in Dhaka, Bangladesh served as the country's sole international airport prior to the construction of Shahjalal International Airport....
became the first civil airport in what was then East Pakistan, current day Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
. Following the independence of Bangladesh
Bangladesh Liberation War
The Bangladesh Liberation War was an armed conflict pitting East Pakistan and India against West Pakistan. The war resulted in the secession of East Pakistan, which became the independent nation of Bangladesh....
, to accommodate the increase in air traffic, a new airport was constructed on the Kurmitola airstrip. In 1981, the airport was officially inaugurated by President
President of Bangladesh
Since 1991, the President of Bangladesh is the head of state, a largely ceremonial post elected by the parliament. Since 1996, the President's role becomes more important after the term of the government has finished, when his executive authority is enhanced as laid down in the constitution of the...
Abdus Sattar. It was renamed the Zia International Airport, after the assassination of president Ziaur Rahman
Ziaur Rahman
President Ziaur Rahman, Bir Uttam, was a Bangladeshi politician and general, who read the declaration of Independence of Bangladesh on March 26, 1971 on behalf of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He later became the seventh President of Bangladesh from 1977 until 1981...
.
In 1992, the airport terminal area experienced rapid expansion with addition of boarding bridges and equipments. A multistorey car park with space for 500 cars was also built at this time.
In 2010 the name was changed from Zia International Airport to Shah Jalal International Airport by the Bangladeshi government, named after one of Bangladesh's most respected Sufi saints, Shah Jalal.
Terminals, airlines and destinations
The airport consists of two major terminals, T1 and T2 for international flights and a concourse of T2 is used for domestic flights. The arrivals deck is the ground floor and the upper floor is the departures hall. A VIP terminal is built only about 200 metres from the main gate and is only used occasionally.Passenger
Cargo airlines
Accidents and incidents
On September 28, 1977, a Japan Airlines flight from Mumbai to Tokyo was hijackedJapan Airlines Flight 472
Japan Airlines Flight 472 was an aircraft hijacking carried out by the Japanese Red Army on September 28, 1977.-Incident:The Douglas DC-8, en route from Paris to Haneda Airport in Tokyo with 156 people on board, stopped in Mumbai, India...
by 5 Japanese Red Army
Japanese Red Army
The was a Communist terrorist group founded by Fusako Shigenobu early in 1971 in Lebanon. It sometimes called itself Arab-JRA after the Lod airport massacre...
terrorists shortly after takeoff, and forced the plane to land at then Zia International Airport. The terrorists' demand of $6 million and release of 6 JRA terrorists from Japanese prison was met by the Japanese Prime Minister. Bangladesh Air Force
Bangladesh Air Force
The Bangladesh Air Force , is the air arm of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. Bangladesh Air Force currently employs more than 22,000 personnel including 600+ Pilots.-History:...
was deployed to control the situation in the ground and to facilitate negotiations.
On August 4, 1984, a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight from Chittagong crashed in the swamps near Shah Jalal Airport. All 45 passengers and 4 crew of the Fokker F27
Fokker F27
The Fokker F27 Friendship is a turboprop airliner designed and built by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker.-Design and development:Design of the Fokker F27 started in the 1950s as a replacement to the successful Douglas DC-3 airliner...
died. The flight was piloted by Kaniz Fatema Roksana, the first lady commercial pilot of Bangladesh.
On May 25, 2008, Saudi Arabian Airlines
Saudi Arabian Airlines
Saudi Arabian Airlines is the flag carrier airline of Saudi Arabia, based in Jeddah. It operates domestic and international scheduled flights to over 90 destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe and North America...
Flight SV806 from Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz Airport
Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz Airport
Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport or Prince Mohammad Airport is a regional airport in the western Saudi city of Medina. Opened in 1974, it handles mostly domestic flights, although it has limited scheduled international services to regional destinations such as Cairo, Doha,...
, Medina
Medina
Medina , or ; also transliterated as Madinah, or madinat al-nabi "the city of the prophet") is a city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, and serves as the capital of the Al Madinah Province. It is the second holiest city in Islam, and the burial place of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, and...
, made an unscheduled landing. During the roll the tower controller reported that he saw a fire on the right-hand wing. Upon exiting runway 14, the crew received a fire indication for engine number three. The fire extinguisher was activated, and all engines were shut down. The Boeing 747-357
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
, which had been charred beyond repair, was successfully evacuated. Only minor injuries had been incured. An investigation determined that there had been a fuel leak where the fuel enters the front spar for engine number three.
On March 22, 2010, a Lockheed L-1011
Lockheed L-1011
The Lockheed L-1011 TriStar, commonly referred to as the L-1011 or TriStar, is a medium-to-long range, widebody passenger trijet airliner. It was the third widebody airliner to enter commercial operations, following the Boeing 747 and the McDonnell Douglas DC-10. Between 1968 and 1984, Lockheed...
belonging to cargo airline Sky Capital Airlines, made an emergency landing due to engine fire caused by technical glitches. Nobody was injured, and the plane landed safely.
Access
The airport is connected to the DhakaDhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
by the Tongi Diversion Road. The nearest hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
near Shahjalal International is the Dhaka Regency
Dhaka Regency
The Dhaka Regency is a business-class hotel, located in the commercial area of Nikunja in Dhaka, Bangladesh. With its fifteen-storey tower, the Dhaka Regency has a total of of space. Each floor of the hotel spans . There is also a basement parking facility. The Dhaka Regency has over 300 rooms...
Hotel.