CHATTOGRAM, Apr 9: The cost of the Strengthening of Existing Runway and Taxiway project at Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram has risen to Tk 622 crore from Tk 540 crore, with the project deadline now extended to December this year.
The total project cost has increased to Tk 622 crore, with an additional expenditure of Tk 81.88 crore, approved recently in a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), chaired by ECNEC Chairperson and Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus.
According to sources from the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB), the cost has increased due to a rise in the dollar exchange rate in the international market. Additionally, the airport's runway lighting system will be upgraded from Category I to Category II.
The original Tk 540 crore project, launched in December 2019, includes strengthening the existing runway and taxiway using hot mix asphalt concrete (HMA) with a polymer-modified bitumen wearing course. It also covers the development of side-strips, improvement of drainage facilities, and installation of airfield ground lighting (AGL) systems, signage, and marking.
The runway upgrade project was initially scheduled for completion in December 2020, with a budget of Tk 472.75 crore. The project, a joint venture between a local company and Chinese firm CAMCE, has improved the runway's pavement classification number (PCN) from 66 to 90. The airport's single runway (05/23), originally 2,940 m × 45 m (9,646 ft × 148 ft), has been strengthened and extended to 9,643 ft. Additionally, a new apron with two boarding bridges has been constructed to accommodate three wide-body and one smaller aircraft.
