• Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) renews their trust in Thales with a turnkey modernisation of their nationwide Air Traffic Management (ATM) system.
  • The new ATM system will improve capacity and safety thanks to a complete nationwide surveillance coverage using the latest ATC and air surveillance technologies compliant with ICAO standards.
  • An iconic new Air Traffic Management Centre and Control Tower as well as new radar building will be constructed at the Hazrat Shajalal International Airport (HSIA) in Dhaka.

In 2019, Asia-Pacific was the largest market for passenger travel to Bangladesh, followed closely by the Middle East and Europe. Over the past year, the number of passengers on domestic routes in Bangladesh recovered to pre-pandemic levels. As the aviation sector gradually embarks on recovery, the CAAB is affirming its commitment to increase safety and security of its airspace with the signing of a contract with Thales for a full turnkey modernisation of the country’s Air Traffic Management system.

The contract was signed between CAAB and Thales on 21st October 2021 in Dhaka, Bangladesh, graced by Stat Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Md Mahbub Ali and his Excellency Mr. Jean-Marin SCHUH, Ambassador of France to Bangladesh.

The project will involve the modernisation of the en-route, approach and tower system at Dhaka’s HSIA airport, with equipment to be installed also at other regional airports throughout Bangladesh. Thales will provide complete new automated systems including ATC automation, primary and secondary radars (STAR NG and RSM), ADS-B, Wide area Multilateration, Airport Multilateration, Datalink and countrywide VSAT communications and terrestrial network as backup to VSAT. This project will provide Bangladesh with the most modern nationwide air surveillance.

An iconic 45 metre high Control Tower and Air Traffic Management Centre will be built at HSIA, equipped with a state-of-the-art security system providing CCTV coverage and access control on an integrated platform. The CAAB’s controllers will work with the latest automation technologies to support the future growth of air traffic in the country. The project is expected to be completed by 2024.

“We are proud to offer a carefully studied and prepared future proof turnkey solution that provides complete surveillance coverage for Bangladesh airspace including exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs), enabling Bangladesh to become a regional hub.” Mayuran SUNDARAMOORTHY, Regional Head of Sales, Airspace Mobility Solutions

“The CAAB has trusted Thales’ ATM technology since the 1980s when we first provided our ATM systems to help secure the skies in Bangladesh. Since then we have established a strong working relationship, with periodic upgrades to our TopSky ATC and radars over the last two decades. I am proud that Thales has been selected once again to support CAAB on this next milestone, where we will undertake a full overhaul of the country’s ATM system, to improve the safety and efficiency of the entire civilian airspace.” Benoit NALIN, Country Director, Thales in Bangladesh