On 1 December 2005 in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thai Airways International Public Company Limited signed a contract to manage Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong, Bangladesh in a Management Contract Signing Ceremony with the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB). Mr. Somchainuk Engtrakul , Member of the Board of Directors Acting as President of Thai Airways International Public Company Limited, signed the Management Contract for Shah Amanat International Airport, Chittagong in conjunction with Air Commodore Harun Chowdhury , Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB).
Mr. Somchainuk Engtrakul, Member of the Board of Directors Acting as President of Thai Airways International Public Company Limited, said that following approval received from the Bangladesh Cabinet on June 23, 2004, Thai Airways International Public Company Limited was awarded the bid at the net amount of 529 million taka (USD 9.063 million dollars) to manage Chittagong’s Shah Amanat International Airport, in Chittagong, Bangladesh, for a period of 10 years.
Furthermore, Mr. Engtrakul said that the company’s management of Chittagong’s Shah Amanat International Airport is part of its corporate strategy to develop profitable business units related to the company’s core business, with these businesses operated separately. THAI will provide services to Shah Amanat International Airport in 4 primary activities being passenger services, ground equipment services, cargo services, and catering services.
As the airport management, THAI will operate, maintain, and manage the airport terminal building, ramp handling, cargo handling, airport security, maintenance and upkeep of buildings, as well as preventive and routine maintenance. Other services may be provided and made under separate contract, those being provision of flight kitchen or catering services. In addition, THAI will be responsible for collecting fees for airport landing charges, security charges, embarkation fees, as well as ground handling related fees on behalf of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh, coordinating with other air carriers operating to and from the airport in Chittagong.
THAI is an expert in providing airline services for customer airlines operating to and from Bangkok International Airport, services that the company will provide to air carriers operating to and from Chittagong Shah Amanat International Airport. The anticipation is that the company will be able to achieve and sustain international standards at the airport in Chittagong similar to those practiced at major airports in the Asian region, further boosting traffic between Bangladesh and Thailand.
For 40 years, THAI has operated flights to and from Bangladesh, with the first flight operated to Dhaka in 1965 and to Chittagong in 2002. THAI currently operates three non-stop flights per week on the route Bangkok-Chittagong v.v., with flights operated on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, utilizing Boeing 737-400 aircraft. The onward flight departs Bangkok at 09.35 hours and arrives in Chittagong at 10.55 hours (local time). The return flight departs Chittagong at 11.50 hours (local time) and arrives in Bangkok at 1505 hours.
