The Minister came up with the remark while speaking as chief guest at the opening session of a three-day long International Flight Safety Seminar jointly organized by Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) and Civil Aviation Authority, Bangladesh (CAAB) at a city hotel.
“Location of Bangladesh is unique. It is in the centre of Asia and Middle East. So Bangladesh can bridge the Asia and the Middle East. Therefore, flight from Asian Region can operate and use the facilities in Bangladesh to go to Middle East as well as Europe,” he said.
In Bangladesh, most of the airfields are jointly operated by military and civilian aircrafts. The airspace in Bangladesh is limited over land considering the growth of air traffic day by day. The BAF and Civil Aviation Authority, Bangladesh (CAAB) have been working together in ensuring safety, security and management of airspace, the Minister added.
He said that flight safety is was not a business of Air Forces only and every aviation related organization could be greatly benefitted from the concepts and practices of safety culture.
The Minister hoped that the participants with their rich experience and knowledge would be able to identify different challenges for improving flight safety standards which will eventually benefit all the stake-holders.
He thanked the organizers of the seminar for creating opportunity for sharing experiences among military and civil organizations to enhance flight safety.
On his arrival at the venue, the Minister was received by Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Masihuzzaman Serniabat. Director of Flight Safety of the BAF, Air Commodore Mohammad Mostafizur Rahman also spoke at the programme.
Around 700 participants, including 52 military representatives from USA, Italy, China, Malaysia, India, Turkey, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Oman, Morocco, Nigeria and Zimbabwe are taking part in the seminar.
The objective of the seminar is to bridge the perspective on flight safety challenges of both civil and military since the airspace is being used jointly. The theme of the seminar is “Team effort can ensure team safety”.
Two regional members of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) are participating in the seminar this year for the first time.