Liberal air transport can make Bangladesh an aviation hub: ICAO chief

Liberalising air transport is necessary to make Bangladesh an aviation hub, said International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO) Secretary General Juan Carlos Salazar.

"Bangladesh needs to continue with the leadership of the chairman to establish the Air Services Agreement, the bilateral framework that enables a liberalisation of air transport that is necessary in order to come with a hub," he said at a press conference on the closing day of the 58th conference of Director General of Civil Aviation at a hotel in the capital.

The ICAO secretary general said it is the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh that will decide, as a sovereign body, how far liberal it could be to realise its goal to be an aviation hub.

Carlos Salazar said he is impressed with the vision of supporting civil aviation as a main driver for economic and social development in Bangladesh.

He expressed the ICAO's pleasure in witnessing first-hand the rapid progress of civil aviation in Bangladesh, attributing this growth to "the effective leadership of the chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh and the country's government".

Salazar said the ICAO would provide capacity building training to personnel of the Civil Aviation Authority to make a pool of skilled human resources to realise its vision to become an aviation hub.

During discussions with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and CAAB Chairman Air Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman recently, Salazar emphasised the country's potential to become a regional hub.

Hailing PM Sheikh Hasina, Salazar said, "This country not only has a present, this country has a future.

"I am confident that Bangladesh's vision for progress, emphasising its people, gender equality, and nurturing the next generation of professionals, will elevate the country to a leading position, not only in the region but also on the global stage."

He mentioned the signing of an important cooperation agreement with Bangladesh that will allow capacity-building and implementation support activities.

Terming the newly-built third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport as incredible infrastructure with state-of-the-art world-class facilities, the ICAO chief said he had discussed how Bangladesh could make good use of the new facilities.

On the occasion, CAAB Chairman Air Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman assured continued support from ICAO to help Bangladesh realise its ambition of becoming a prominent player in the global aviation arena.

ICAO's regional director for Asia Pacific Tao Ma also spoke at the briefing.

Around 500 foreign delegates, representing 47 countries and 13 international organisations, took part in the event hosted by Dhaka after 38 years.

The conference, a landmark initiative after ICAO's tri-annual general meeting, was first held in Dhaka in 1985.

Aviation safety, air navigation, aviation security, facilitation, development of air transports, prevention of environmental disasters, capacity building of the aviation sector, practical aspects and related issues were discussed at the conference.