Departure
99%
vs 95% ▲ 3
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Shah Amanat International Airport lies on the north bank of the Karnaphuli River at Patenga, on the southern edge of Chattogram, and is Bangladesh's second-busiest airport after Dhaka. It combines a busy civil terminal with a Bangladesh Air Force base, and offers a single long, ILS-equipped runway that makes it a straightforward destination for airliners and a notable stop for the simulator pilot exploring southeastern Bangladesh.
Shah Amanat International Airport (IATA: CGP, ICAO: VGEG) serves the port city of Chattogram and is operated by the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh. It shares its site with the Bangladesh Air Force's Zahurul Haq Base, which also hosts Bangladesh Naval Aviation and Army Aviation elements, giving the field a strong military as well as civil character. It is home to Biman Bangladesh Airlines and a focus city for Air Astra, Novoair and US-Bangla Airlines, and is also the base for the Arirang Flying School, making it of interest to both airline-scale and light-aircraft simulator pilots.
The airport sits in the Patenga area of Chattogram, on the north bank of the Karnaphuli River, about 20 kilometres west of the city's main commercial hub at GEC Circle and roughly 18.5 km south of the city railway station. Its position on the coast places it close to the Bay of Bengal, and as a joint civil-military aerodrome hosting the Bangladesh Air Force's Zahurul Haq Base, pilots should expect a controlled aerodrome environment with active military traffic alongside scheduled airline operations.
The airport has a single physical runway, 05/23, 9,645 feet long with a hard surface and runway lighting. An ILS is provided for runway 23, giving instrument approach capability at this end; runway 05 is lit but not equipped with ILS according to the available data.
Chittagong Ground operates on 121.8 MHz and Chittagong Tower on 118.7 MHz, with an ATIS broadcast on 127.6 MHz. The field is equipped with an ILS serving runway 23.
The airport's position on the north bank of the Karnaphuli River, close to the coastline at Patenga, is the most useful visual feature for orientation when approaching from over the Bay of Bengal or along the river.
The airfield dates from the early 1940s, built under British rule and known during the Second World War as Chittagong Airfield. It served as a supply point for the United States Army Air Forces' 4th Combat Cargo Group, which flew C-46 Commando aircraft from the field between January and June 1945 in support of the Burma Campaign, before control passed back to local authorities at the end of June 1945. The airport officially became a Bangladeshi civil airport in 1972 after the Liberation War, initially handling mainly Dhaka-Chittagong services. A major renovation and expansion took place between March 1998 and December 2000, funded in part by a US$51.57 million upgrade assisted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency and carried out by the Japanese firms Shimizu and Marubeni; this modernised the terminal, control tower equipment including 3D radar, and lengthened and improved the runway and taxiways, allowing aircraft as large as the Boeing 747-400 or Airbus A340 to operate. The airport was originally named MA Hannan International Airport, after Awami League politician M. A. Hannan, before being renamed Shah Amanat International Airport on 2 April 2005 in honour of an 18th-century Islamic saint.
Today the airport is a hub for Biman Bangladesh Airlines and a focus city for Air Astra, Novoair and US-Bangla Airlines, with international services also operated by carriers including Flydubai, Air Arabia, Jazeera Airways, Oman Air and SalamAir; domestic routes connect to Dhaka, Sylhet, Cox's Bazar and Jashore. It also serves as the base for the Arirang Flying School, giving it relevance to general aviation training as well as airline operations. The field continues to function jointly with the Bangladesh Air Force's Zahurul Haq Base, which maintains hangars and a dedicated military parking area with direct runway access, alongside naval and army aviation facilities.