Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) has proposed a five-point package to develop the port city into a regional logistics hub, seeking reforms to expand international air connectivity, cargo handling and transit operations.
The chamber sent the proposals to Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury on Saturday, calling for measures to unlock the city's logistics potential and strengthen its role in regional trade.
The package includes making Shah Amanat International Airport operational round the clock, introducing an 80 per cent preferential tariff for international routes, developing transit and refuelling facilities for long-haul flights, providing layover facilities for international passengers, and establishing a modern cargo village and inland container depot in nearby Patenga.
The proposals come as the government seeks to strengthen the economy and improve the country's logistics infrastructure.
Business leaders say greater use of aviation facilities outside Dhaka will be essential to accommodate rising trade and ease pressure on the capital's aviation infrastructure.
Despite being the country's second-largest international airport, Shah Amanat International Airport has yet to realise its full passenger and cargo-handling potential, according to the chamber.
CCCI President Mohammad Amirul Haque said the proposed measures could help establish Chattogram as a regional logistics hub by attracting more international flights, cargo traffic and transit operations.
The chamber also called for targeted tariff incentives to attract international carriers.
It cited measures taken by the previous government at Mongla Port, where lower tariffs than those at Chattogram Port were introduced to encourage greater use of the facility.
Chattogram is Bangladesh's main industrial and commercial centre outside Dhaka, hosting the country's principal seaport, major export processing zones and a large concentration of manufacturing industries.
The chamber said the Patenga area, located close to both the airport and seaport, could be developed as an integrated air-and-sea logistics zone.
It also proposed involving private investors through public-private partnerships and other infrastructure investment models to develop the required facilities.
The proposals also seek to reduce the country's reliance on Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport for international air cargo, which has contributed to congestion and logistics bottlenecks for time-sensitive and high-value shipments.
