Bangladesh Civil Aviation Academy Launches 27-Week ATC Basic Course No. 36 with 14 Trainees

What happened

The Civil Aviation Academy of Bangladesh inaugurated ATC Basic Course No. 36 on August 23, 2026, launching a 27-week program to train air traffic controllers. Air Commodore Md. Nur-E-Alam, Member (ATM) of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB), formally opened the course at 10:00 am, describing air traffic control as one of the most critical functions in aviation and stressing that trained controllers ensure safe separation between aircraft and orderly management of national airspace. He also underscored the importance of internationally benchmarked training in building human resources for Bangladesh's aviation sector.

Civil Aviation Academy Director Prashanta Kumar Chakraborty welcomed participants, calling skilled personnel essential to a safer and more efficient aviation system and urging trainees to approach the program with discipline and professional responsibility. CAAB's Director (ATM), Md. Shamsul Haque, also addressed the gathering, alongside officials from both the Civil Aviation Academy and CAAB.

The course has enrolled 14 trainees in total — eight members of the Bangladesh Air Force and six CAAB officials. Over the 27-week duration, participants will receive theoretical and practical instruction in air traffic control and air traffic management.

Industry impact & what to watch

This course belongs to the ordinary cycle of controller training that aviation authorities run to keep pace with staffing needs as air traffic grows. Air traffic management authorities depend on a steady pipeline of newly qualified controllers to maintain separation standards and airspace capacity, and mixed intakes drawing from both a national air force and a civil aviation authority reflect how that pipeline is often shared across military and civil users of the same airspace.

Whether this cohort translates into added operational capacity depends on how many of the 14 trainees complete the 27-week program and where CAAB subsequently posts its six civil officials versus the eight Air Force members. The next marker to watch is the graduation of Course No. 36, which would show how many controllers actually enter service.