Barishal airport needs a facelift

The fastest way to travel to and from Barishal is by air. This southern district in Bangladesh has immense business prospects for the traders, and many prefer to travel by air as commuting by roads may take almost the entire day—especially if you're travelling from Dhaka. But the sole airport in the district, which began commercial flights in 1995, lies in a sorry state with its terminal and runway needing immediate repairs. It is mystifying as to why the civil aviation authority let the airport slide to its present poor condition, which may put the life of passengers and airport crew in jeopardy any day.

According to our report, a high-level team of experts appointed by the civil aviation ministry prepared a report after visiting the airport on January 3. The team came to notice that landing aircrafts at the Barishal airport was a risky undertaking as the runway and other nearby structures were in a dilapidated condition; the terminal building was in a poor state and the runway was unprotected because of trespassing. The team also found that 75 metres of the northern end of the runway was being severely eroded by the Sugandha River. Experts are of the opinion that if the ongoing trend of erosion continues, landing and take-off will become quite risky.

We understand that the report made some important recommendations like starting repair and maintenance work of the entire terminal building, repairing asphalt surfaces of the runway, and constructing security walls around the airport. The expert team also recommended taking immediate measures to protect the airport from river erosion by coordinating with the water resources ministry, especially the Water Development Board.

Considering the significance of the airport from the perspective of business and tourism, the relevant authorities must not waste time to undertake the recommended measures, as experts have acknowledged the risks of mishaps occurring any time. There should not be any opening in the boundary wall for humans or animals to enter the airport, and it needs to be protected from river erosion. We hope the probe team report would sound the alarm bell for the higher authorities to start the renovation works on an urgent basis.