The Civil Aviation Authority, Bangladesh is discussing the possibility of expanding the runway at domestic Shah Makhdum Airport, Rajshahi, to facilitate the landing and take-off of Russian jumbo cargo carrying nuclear fuel oil for the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Ishwardi, Pabna.聽
The CAAB in the past week initiated the discussion after the civil aviation and tourism ministry, in a letter on March 20, asked them to take the necessary steps to make the airport operational for the landing, take-off, refuelling, and unloading of Russian cargo after a feasibility check.
The ministry鈥檚 deputy secretary, Ahmed Zamil, said that they had allowed the Russian Federation to use the airport, but the CAAB would now decide about the construction, expansion, and budgetary issues.
The CAAB would hold further discussion in the coming week as officials believed that upgrading the airport would cost around Tk 2,500 crore.
The runway of Shah Makhdum Airport is around 6,600 feet long and 120 feet wide. A typical runway length for a fully-loaded Boeing 747-400, one of the most common variants, is around 10,000 to 12,000 feet for take-off.
Domestic flights are being operated to and from the airport.
According to CAAB, the authorities built a rest house, a modified airport, and a runway lighting system. The officials said they had a plan to transform it into an international airport.
In 2023, Bangladesh authorities received seven uranium shipments from Russia to fuel the country鈥檚 lone nuclear power plant, which was constructed with the technical and financial assistance of Russia.
The Bangladesh Army arranged the transportation of the fuel from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to RNPP in Ishwardi.
It takes between six and eight hours by road now.
If the Russian cargo lands at Shah Makhdum Airport, it will take two hours and a half to reach the same destination, officials said.
The British government constructed an airport in Ishwardi during World War II, which was in operation until 1989.聽
In 2013, now-defunct United Airways started some flights from Dhaka to Ishwardi, but only after one year. The airport is only 40 minutes by road from the Rooppur plant.
The CAAB鈥檚 member (operations and planning), Air Commodore AFM Atiquzzaman, told 抖阴精品 that they were not only considering the travel distance but also the security of nuclear materials.
鈥榃e are still examining the possibilities of expansion of the runways and the alternatives,鈥� he added.
Officials argued that the use of Shah Makhdum Airport would help ferry uranium and its waste to Rooppur power plant officials without affecting densely populated Dhaka.
The International Atomic Energy Agency鈥檚 safety guidelines require some administrative measures, such as the establishment and enforcement of no-fly zones.
Another senior government official said the Ishwardi Airport is around 12 kilometres from the main gate of the power plant, but it might be costlier to repair it than to expand the Rajshahi airport runway.
Rooppur power plant is expected to produce 2,400 megawatts of electricity, powering about 15 million households when the twin-unit facility goes fully online.
The plant is being constructed by Rosatom, Russia鈥檚 state nuclear energy corporation.
Moscow has funded the construction with a $11.38 billion loan to be repaid over two decades, starting in 2027.
