US-Bangla aircraft avoids head-on collision at Ctg airport

A US-Bangla aircraft Boeing 737-800 crossed the holding point and got close to the runway in Chattogram airport less than a minute before another aircraft was about to land.

The incident occurred on 18 January this year at Chattogram's Shah Amanat International Airport when the US-Bangla aircraft disregarded instructions from the Air Traffic Control (ATC).

The airport authority said they briefed the airlines after the incident and sent a report to the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB).

However, US-Bangla Airlines said it might be a "communication error" as the pilot did not stop at the holding point, which is a marked line before the runway.

A chartered flight of Arirang from Dhaka was cleared to land on the day around 9:30am.

A few seconds later, the US Bangla aircraft heading for Dhaka requested taxi permission to the same runway.

The ATC told the US Bangla plane to taxi to the runway but stop at the holding point.

Planes are not supposed to get on the runway without explicit permission to do so.

The US Bangla plane had begun crossing the holding point and getting on the runway with the Arirang flight about to touch down.

The air-traffic controller instructed it to "hold position" several times, before cancelling the Arirang plane's landing permission and asking it to go around and attempt to land again.

The pilot of the US Bangla aircraft then held position recognising his mistake. 

Group Captain Taslim Ahmed, executive director of Chattogram Airport, told The Business Standard, "The aircraft went a little ahead of the holding point. But after the incident we briefed the airlines. And the report was conveyed to our higher authorities.

"This type of incident should not happen once in a million, because security is the most important issue. So we are very careful."

When contacted, US-Bangla General Manager (Public Relations) Kamrul Islam said, "The aircraft did not cross the runway. But it was a mistake to cross the holding point even after telling the pilot to hold on. It could be a communication error."

"However, the pilot has admitted the mistake. US Bengal has also conducted an internal inquiry committee where the concerned have been warned and asked to make efforts to prevent it from happening in the future."

Last July, there was a near miss on the runway of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, when a Biman aircraft got on the runway when another plane was about to touch down.

Biman had launched an investigation and had grounded the two pilots.