The history of aviation in Bangladesh began with kites, the traditional heavier-than-air man-made object, that is flown by one or more people while staying on the ground. The first recorded manned flight was arranged by the Dhaka Nawab Family in 1892, which resulted in the death of the flyer.
Early era
Unmanned flight Kite flying was one of the many different forms of entertainment of the elite people of Dhaka, since the Mughal period. It became a festive tradition during the period of Nayeb-e-Nazim Nawajesh Mohammad Khan in the 1740s. Kite flying is still a popular pastime in Bangladesh, especially right after the monsoon.Enamul Haque, An Anthology on crafts of Bangladesh, page 102, National Crafts Council of Bangladesh, 1987 In the older parts of Dhaka it is one of the most popular activities. Kite painting was a specialised art form in the 18th century in Bangladesh.Harun-or-Rashid, History of Bangladesh, 1704–1971, page 243-250, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, 1992, Some kites of Bengal has been known to keep flying for three months. They were big kites tied to anchors with stout ropes.Popular Science, page 14, 12 January 1930, The Modern Publishing Company
Kite flying festival had long been a major festival. The Chaitra Sankranti festival (known as Shakrain or Hakrain in Old DhakaShakrain festival. The Daily Star. 19 January 2011. Retrieved 16 January 2012.) is celebrated annually on the last day of the Bengali calendar (30th Choitro, mid April). Traditionally, kite flying and boat racing have been events at the festival. Combating fighter kite flyers trying to slash each other's carefully sharpened kite-string is a major part of the competition.Elena Martinez, "Kite flying from Silk Road to Roosevelt Avenue", The Voice: Journal of New York Folklore (Volume 31), Spring-Summer, 2005 In West Bengal, the major kite flying festival happens on the day of Makar Sankranti or end of winter (mid January), and Vasant Panchami (late February).Vanessa Betts, Kolkata and West Bengal Footprint Focus Guide, page 17, Footprint Travel Guides, 2013, Jane Hutchings, India, Page 109, Ingram Pub Services, 1998,
First manned flight
Jeanette "Jenny" Rummary (performing as "Jeanette Van Tassell" along with Park Van Tassel), was a young balloonist from the United States, was hired as a part of the Van Tassell Troupe by the then incumbent Nawab Khwaja Ahsanullah to make a balloon ascension and parachute descent. She had made several previous parachute descents across India since October 1891. At 6.20 pm on 16 March 1892, she launched from the bank of the Buriganga River opposite from the Ahsan Manzil. Ascending in the balloon, she jumped via parachute as planned to make her descent but was caught in a Casusrina tree in Ramna Park. During her rescue, she fell to the ground and died two days later from her injuries. She was interred in the Christian Cemetery at Narinda, Dhaka.A daredevil balloonist flown in from America . NawabBari Official Website. Retrieved: 5 July 2007The Van Tassel Family History Homepage. Retrieved: 5 July 2007
World War II
Modern aviation in modern Bangladesh area began when the British Government of India built a Royal Indian military airstrip in Tejgaon during World War II to fly warplanes towards the battle fields of Kohima and war theatres in Burma. Other airstrips were built in Comilla, Feni, Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Chakaria, Sylhet, Jessore, Rajshahi and Lalmonirhat.
In August 1943, a South Asia Command was formed under Admiral Mountbatten, including the RAF Third Tactical Air Force (Third TAF), which launched the second Burma Campaign against the Empire of Japan in the December that year. The Royal Indian Airforce (RIAF), Indian part of the Royal Air Force played a crucial role by providing tactical reconnaissance and extensive close support to the army when a British Corps started advancing down the Arakan coast in January 1944.
In November 1943, 6 Squadron and later 8 Squadron were moved to Cox's Bazar.No. 6 Squadron from Bharat-RakshakNo. 8 Squadron from Bharat-Rakshak By the end of February 1944, No 6 Squadron pilots had completed over 1,000 operational sorties, averaging 6 sorties a day per pilot, a record for the entire the Third TAF. Towards the end of March 1944, 4 Squadron joined the operations when it was moved first to Feni airfield, and then to Comilla in June to replace 6 Squadron.No. 4 Squadron from Bharat-Rakshak In March 1944, the squadron moved to Feni for operations against the Japanese. The role of the squadron was to provide close Air support to the XIV Army. It was from Feni that the squadron carried out its first operational sorties by providing fighter escort to Dakota, engaged in supply dropping missions in the northern Burma. From August 1944 to January 1945, No. 4 Squadron was based at Cox's Bazar and carried out CAS, interdiction and tactical recce operations.
In May 1944, 9 Squadron was moved to Comilla after a brief spell of tactical reconnaissance duties supporting the battles of Imphal and Kohima.No. 9 Squadron from Bharat-Rakshak During August 1944, the two squadrons carried out intensive bombing of Japanese positions in the Sangu River valley, specially for three consecutive days in Labawa to support an offensive by 81 Division to expel the Japanese from the area. By the end of December 1944, 10 Squadron had also been moved into the operational area at Ramu. With the fall of Rangoon on 3 May 1945, the operations in Burma were reduced to mopping up of small pockets of resistance. By the end of June, most of the Royal Air forces squadrons were withdrawn, leaving only 8 Squadron to assist in the mopping up.
The Shahjalal International Airport originated in 1941, during the second world war, as the British government built a landing strip at Kurmitola, several kilometres north of Tejgaon, as an extra landing strip for the Tejgaon Airport. At that time Tejgaon was a military airport, to operate warplanes towards the war fields of Kohima (Assam) and Burmese war theatres. Shah Amanat International Airport was a combat airfield as well as a supply point and photographic reconnaissance base by the United States Army Air Forces Tenth Air Force during the Burma Campaign 1944-1945.Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983. Known American units assigned to Chittagong were: 80th Fighter Group, flew P-38 Lightning fighters over Burma between March 1944 and February 1945; 8th Reconnaissance Group, between October and December 1944 (various detachments); and 4th Combat Cargo Group, flew C-46 Commando transports between January and June 1945. Osmani International Airport in Sylhet was built during British rule as Sylhet Civil Airport, partly to check Japanese aggression from Burma. Biman Bangladesh Airlines earns most of its revenue from this airport.
Civil aviation
When the war was over, the colonial government decided to build the Tejgaon Airport along with a landing strip at Kurmitola to meet the needs of a Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF) station in Dhaka. In 1946, the Mirza Ahmad Ispahani and his partners formed an airline – Orient Airways – which soon started using the airport as a civil airport. Shifting its base from Kolkata to Karachi when Pakistan was born, Orient Airways started DC-3 flights from Karachi to Dhaka on 7 June 1954, forming a critical connection between the capitals of geographically separated East and West Pakistan. On 11 March 1955, Orient Airways merged with the government's proposed airline, becoming Pakistan International Airlines Corporation, later rechristened as Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).
The Eastern Pakistan Flying Club was established in 1948. By 1960, British Overseas Airways Corporation and Pan American Airways had started operating flights out of Dhaka, PIA had started operating Boeing 707 and Vickers VC10 jet services, and new airports had been established out of former Royal Air Force stations at Jessore, Chittagong, Thakurgaon, Ishwardi, and Comilla. During the 1962 Sino-Indian War, services to East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) were proving to be difficult, therefore PIA placed their Sikorsky S-61 helicopters on these routes until 1966 when conditions improved. In the 1971 war, PIA aided the Pakistan Army by transporting soldiers to East Pakistan in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 and lost a couple of its aircraft to Indian Air Force fighters.Aircraft Losses In Pakistan −1971 War (PAF, Army Aviation, and Civilian aircraft Casualties) – by P V S Jagan Mohan Between 10 and 13 March, immediately before the war started, Pakistan International Airlines cancelled all their international routes to urgently fly "Government Passengers" to Dacca. These "Government Passengers" were almost all Pakistani soldiers in civilian dress.
Incidents and accidents 1 July 1957: A Pakistan International Airlines Douglas DC-3 (registered AP-AJS), that was performing a flight from Chittagong Patenga Airport to Dhaka Tejgaon Airport crashed into tidal flats in the Bay of Bengal near Charlakhi Island, killing all 20 passengers and four crew on board. 2 February 1966: Pakistan International Airlines Flight 17 was a scheduled domestic flight from Dacca to Faridpur in East Pakistan operated by a Sikorsky S-61 twin-engined helicopter. The Pakistan International Airlines helicopter crashed near Fardipur because of a mechanical failure due to insufficient lubrication. Twenty passengers and three crew died, there was just one survivor.UK CAA Document CAA 429 World Airline Accident Summary 2 December 1970: A Cargolux Canadair CL-44 (registered TF-LLG) crashed into farm houses near Dhaka Tejgaon Airport, killing all four crew on board and three people on the ground. The origin of the flight was Hamburg, where it was loaded with 27.5 tons of child food by the Swiss Red Cross. The cargo was intended to help flood victims in East Pakistan. While the flight was approaching Dhaka Tejgaon Airport, the hydraulic gust lock system activated in flight, causing the controls to lock. The crew lost control of the aircraft and it crashed. It was speculated that the lock system had activated as hydraulic back pressure had built up caused by a malfunctioning switch valve when hydraulics were armed on descent.
Liberation War
During the 1971 Liberation War of Bangladesh Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) had fought extensive engagements in the sky over Bangladesh. The first engagement was on 22 November over the Salient of Boyra in West Bengal.. Tom Cooper & Shais Ali. Air Combat and Information Group. Retrieved: 5 July 2007 In the process Tejgaon Airport suffered extensive damage.
Bangladesh Air Force was organised in India with the initiative of Squadron Leader Sultan Mahmud (Ex-PAF Pilot), Captain Shahabuddin Ahmed (Ex-PIA Pilot), Captain Akram Ahmed (Ex-Plant protection Pilot) and Captain Sattar (ex-PIA Pilot) and Captain Sarfuddin (Ex-PIA Pilot). Later many Bangladeshi ex-PAF Officers joined in Bangladesh Air Force in India. Finally Bangladesh Air Force was formed in late July 1971. Indian Air Force trained these Officers July 1971 through November 1971 as fighter pilots. Bangladesh Air Force first went in action on 3 December 1971 and attacked the Chittagong-based Oil tank depot and oil tank depot was totally destroyed by that air attack. The Air attack was conducted by Capt. Akram Ahmed. The second Bangladesh Air Force attack was on 6 December 1971 at Moulovi Bazar Pakistani Army barracks under the command of Squadron Leader Sultan Mahmud, where Captain Shahabuddin Ahmed was co-pilot.