TDS Desk:

Aviation experts and pilots, both military and civilian, on Monday questioned the rationale behind allowing military aircraft to conduct training exercises over a densely populated area like Dhaka.

Aviation expert Kazi Wahidul Alam said that due to the densely populated nature of Dhaka, flying military training aircraft in the capital is significantly more dangerous compared to other parts of the country where the air force operates its fighter training missions.

“Despite the risks, the air force aircraft continue to use the sole runway at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport,” said Alam.

“We have long been demanding the relocation of the air force base near Dhaka airport, as its presence is hampering the operations of commercial airlines at the airport.”

A Bangladesh Air Force pilot from the same cohort as that of the deceased pilot, speaking anonymously, said training in such a populated area poses additional challenges to military jet pilots.

“Although the entire field is supposed to be clear of any building over one or two storeys, there are plenty of high-rise buildings in the flight path. As a result, we have to gain altitude very fast and remain at higher altitudes,” said the pilot.

Another veteran pilot with similar training experience agreed.

He, also requesting anonymity, opined that the pilot may have realised that he was flying at an altitude higher than the “glide path” and, as a result, would overshoot the runway, so he reduced power to lose altitude.

The glide path is the vertical flight path that an aircraft follows as it approaches a runway for landing, typically during the final approach phase.

“Then he might have needed to reintroduce power to proceed with the landing. But jet engines have a limitation — it takes a few seconds to spool up,” said the veteran pilot. Those lost seconds are precious when the landing strip is only seconds away.

Fighter jets like the FT-7 BGI, which crashed inside a school compound in Uttara yesterday, fly at supersonic speeds, calculated in “Mach”, a unit relative to the speed of sound, which is 1,234km per hour. Unlike commercial aircraft, these planes fly and land at higher speeds. The plane in question is capable of flying at Mach 2, which is well above 2,400kmph.

Experts and pilots say if everything had gone okay, Flight Lieutenant Towkir Islam Sagar would have been able to land at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, 3.3 kilometres from the crash site, in seconds.

Military and civil aviation professionals questioned the logic of operating such training in a city like Dhaka when the air force has the option to conduct such training from bases in Jashore or Chattogram.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, one such professional noted that very few countries in the world allow Air Force training aircraft to operate on the same runway used for commercial aviation.

However, he acknowledged that countries with limited land availability, historical military bases, or strategic partnerships often utilise civil-military joint-use airports.

Imran Asif, a veteran of the aviation industry with 20 years of experience and currently the chief executive officer of Air Astra, stated that in the case of on Tuesday incident, the fatalities could potentially have been avoided if the fighter training aircraft had conducted the operation from a base outside Dhaka.

“We, the aviation experts, have long been calling for the relocation of the air base from Dhaka on valid grounds. But Bangladesh remains one of the few countries where no action is taken until lives are lost,” he added.

He also criticised the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) for failing to protect the interests of civilian passengers, whose safety is compromised by military flights operating from Dhaka airport.

“After this tragic incident, will CAAB finally raise its voice to stop jet fighter training operations from using Dhaka airport’s runway for the safety of passengers?” Asif further questioned.

A senior pilot of Biman Bangladesh Airlines with 32 years of experience pointed out, “I have been flying as an airline pilot to hundreds of airports, but I have never faced any delay anywhere due to Air Force flying. Dhaka and Chattogram are probably the only international airports that allow such fighter jet activities.”

He also criticised the unplanned urbanisation surrounding the airport.

“Aircraft accidents most frequently occur during takeoffs and landings, that is why strict regulations prohibit the construction of high-density establishments such as schools, colleges, and shopping malls near airport approach paths,” he said, blaming unplanned urbanisation for the tragedy.

“This accident was just waiting to happen,” he said.

Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that the accident happened due to a mechanical failure shortly after take-off from BAF Base Bangabandhu in Kurmitola, and that the pilot had tried to steer the plane towards a less-populated area.