Shah Makhdum Airport (IATA: RJH, ICAO: VGRJ) is a domestic airport serving Rajshahi,[2] the principal city of the Rajshahi DivisioninBangladesh. The airport is located at Nowhata, about 10 kilometers away from city center of Rajshahi and named after Sufi saint Shah Makhdum Rupos. The airport also serves as a base for two flying training academy.
The airport is situated at an elevation of 55 feet (17 m) above mean sea level. Its only runway, designated 17/35 with an asphalt surface, measures 1,829 by 30 metres (6,001 ft × 98 ft).[2]
A project is going on to increase existing facilities of the airport. After finishing the development project, the terminal will have total 31000 square feet area. The length of runway will be 10000 feet long and 150 feet wide. The apron will be 275×250 feet.[4][5]
On 17 November 2022, Novoair became the first airline in the country to operate inter-city flight other than Dhaka, connecting Rajshahi with Cox's Bazar.[6]
25 April 2013: A 2-seater Cessna 152 (S2-ABI), a flight training aircraft of Bangladesh Flying Academy crash landed in the airport, while landing in the airport on 4:24 pm.[10] The aircraft flipped upside-down; the flight instructor and trainee pilot inside escaped with minor injuries.[10]
1 April 2015: Another Cessna 152 (S2-ADI) aircraft of Bangladesh Flying Academy crashed at the airport and got engulfed by fire after the pilot conducted a rejected takeoff, sensing technical problems on the aircraft at around 2 pm.[11] The accident left the trainee pilot dead, also leaving the flight instructor with critical burn injuries. After some time, the flight instructor also died.[11]
Media related to Shah Makhdum Airport at Wikimedia Commons
Aviation
