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SYLHET, April 27, 2025 (BSS)- Water cannons spouted as the inaugural freighter flight took off Sylhet's Osmani International Airport with full of cargo as part of Bangladesh's response to India's abrupt suspension of third-country transshipment.
A chartered Airbus A330-300 freighter operated by Galistair Aviation departed Sylhet airport Sunday evening, carrying 60 tonnes of readymade garments (RMG) to Zaragoza of Spain via Dubai while Biman Bangladesh Airlines will provide ground-handling services for the operation.
"Today's cargo operation has increased our cargo handling capacity ... it will overcome to fulfill the gap of country's export facilities," said Commerce and Civil Aviation and Tourism Adviser Sk. Bashir Uddin while inaugurating the cargo flight operation.
He said the government has taken all initiatives to face the challenges posed by the Indian ban on exporting Bangladesh goods using their airports.
The adviser said a collective effort has also taken to revise civil aviation and ground-handling tariffs to make air cargo services more cost-effective.
"We will reduce the cargo cost and make it cheaper even than that cost of transshipment through India," he said.
Bangladesh Ambassador to Mexico M. Mushfiqul Fazal Ansarey and Civil Aviation and Tourism Secretary Nasreen Jahan spoke as the special guests while Chairman of Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) Air Vice Marshal Md Monjur Kabir Bhuiyan was in the chair.
"We are not dependent on anyone- we can, and we will shape our own future. From the soil of Sylhet, goods will now be sent directly to the global market," said Ansarey.
This new journey will open a new horizon of Bangladesh's export capabilities said the Bangladesh envoy.
"Today we are inaugurating freighter flight operation from Sylhet and we will start cargo operation from Chattagram airport soon," CAAB chairman Bhuiyan said adding that cargo flight will be operated from the Cox's Bazar airport from June as well.
He said that initially two charted freighter flights will be operated weekly from the Sylhet airport and the frequency to be increased as per the demands.
The chairman said that CAAB and Biman have also deployed additional manpower at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport's (HSIA's) cargo terminal to enhance capacity ahead of the opening of its Third Terminal.
"Our existing infrastructure will soon be capable of handling two to three times more cargo volume. Meanwhile, Sylhet's newly upgraded cargo terminal already has significant handling capacity," Bhuiyan said.
Leading cargo handlers from Dhaka as well as members of Sylhet's business community was also invited at the ceremony to encourage them to export their products through Osmani International Airport.
Apart from Sylhet and Chattagram, the newly built Third Terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) is expected to raise Bangladesh's export cargo capacity from 200,000 tonnes to 546,000 tonnes annually, featuring a 36,000-square-metre dedicated cargo zone.
India's decision earlier this month to revoke a four-year arrangement allowing Bangladeshi goods-- mostly garments-to transit via Indian airports like Kolkata and Delhi has placed significant strain on Bangladeshi exporters.
According to Bangladesh Freight Forwarders Association (BAFFA), nearly 600 tonnes or 18 percent of Bangladesh's weekly garment air exports were routed via India.
Bangladesh currently exports around 3,400 tonnes of garments by air each week while HSIA's cargo village- originally designed for 300 tonnes per day-frequently handles more than 1,200 tonnes during the peak periods.
Biman's passenger flights currently account for 16/17 percent of HSIA's annual cargo volume of approximately 175,000 tonnes.
Currently, major airlines such as Emirates, one of the two flag carriers of the United Arab Emirates, Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines and Ethiopian Airlines operate dedicated cargo flights exclusively from HSIA.
