Govt Asks CAAB To Waive Charges For Additional Flights After HSIA Fire

The Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism today directed the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) to waive all applicable charges for additional and special flights operated by airlines to adjust disrupted schedules following the recent fire at the Cargo Village of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in Dhaka.

The ministry sent an official letter to CAAB, signed by Senior Assistant Secretary Mosammat Shakila Parveen, instructing the authority to take immediate steps to implement the waiver.

The letter noted that the fire on October 18 at the import cargo complex of HSIA severely disrupted both domestic and international flight schedules.

“In this situation, several airlines have taken initiatives to operate additional and special flights to manage the schedule disruptions,” the ministry stated.

Accordingly, the government decided to exempt all applicable charges for flights operated between October 19 and October 21 (until midnight).

The fire, which broke out around 2:15 pm on Saturday, caused extensive damage to the import cargo section where goods were stored.

A total of 37 units of the Fire Service and Civil Defence, supported by personnel from the Bangladesh Navy, Bangladesh Air Force, CAAB, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), police, and Ansar, worked for several hours to bring the blaze under control.

By evening, the fire was largely contained, though most of the stored goods were reported destroyed.