Govt plans to form paramilitary force for airports

The home ministry seeks to create a paramilitary unit to oversee all security aspects of civil aviation, arguing that such an independent force is necessary to deal with organised crime, cyberattacks, and threats of drone and bomb attacks.

Named Aviation Guard Bangladesh (AGB), the force would comprise 7,650 personnel with a budget of Tk 771 crore, according to a proposal prepared by the ministry.

At present, the country's civil aviation security is overseen by 9,004 personnel from the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB), the Airport Armed Police Battalion (APBn), and Ansar.

The proposal noted that while Aviation Security (AvSec), a wing of CAAB, is designated to protect aircraft, passengers, crew, and airport infrastructure, security can be strengthened in sensitive areas such as aprons, boundaries, fuel depots, and cargo transport.

Beyond airport and airfield security, AGB would prevent money laundering, secure unused runways, and operate two helicopters for search and rescue missions.

The force would be managed by the Bangladesh Air Force and primarily staffed with its officers. Civilians and retired officers could also be included if necessary.

"Seventy percent of its members would come from the air force, and the rest would be civilians, with a long-term goal of reaching a 50-50 balance," the proposal stated.

Leadership would come almost entirely from the air force -- an air vice marshal, two group captains, two wing commanders, and one deputy secretary under the air vice marshal. Two posts would be reserved for civil service officials.

The group captains would manage the secretariat, budgets, and policy, while the wing commanders would oversee coordination, public relations, risk assessment, research, and investigation. The deputy secretary would handle internal security and legal affairs.

The force would be managed through three wings -- two led by air commodores and one by an additional or joint secretary.

AGB would be phased in from 2026 to 2032.

In the first phase, 2,150 officers -- half of the planned deployment -- would be posted at Dhaka, Chattogram, and Sylhet airports. They would come from the air force, with retired personnel recruited on contract. This phase would require Tk 215 crore.

In 2028, deployment would rise to 75 percent at Dhaka, Chattogram, and Sylhet, while Rajshahi, Syedpur, Jashore, and Barishal airports would receive 50 percent of their planned personnel. This stage would cost Tk253 crore.

By 2030, AGB members would be fully deployed at all airports, with Tk 303 crore required for the final phase.

Contacted, Home Ministry Senior Additional Secretary Ataur Rahman Khan said the formation of AGB is still at a preliminary stage and under feasibility review.

"At present, around 20 agencies are involved in managing civil aviation. The air force believes coordination would improve if a single body acted as the focal point," he said, adding that such an arrangement would improve coordination.

He also said the government will assess whether existing agencies can close the security gaps without creating a new force.

CAAB Chairperson Air Vice Marshal Md Mostafa Mahmood Siddiq declined to comment, saying that discussions on AGB are taking place at the ministry level.

Globally, most major airports -- including those in Qatar, Singapore, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Dubai, and Hong Kong -- are secured by a mix of civilian police, border control agencies, and third-party contractors. France is the only exception, with its Air Transport Gendarmerie having some overlap with the military.

GOVT AGENCIES AT ODDS

The home ministry formed an inter-ministerial body on August 31 with the aim of forming AGB, according to ministry documents.

The body includes the ministries of public administration, civil aviation, finance, defence, home, the Cabinet Division, police, and the armed forces.

It was tasked with recommending how to undertake the activities of forming AGB under the home ministry.

At its first meeting on September 19, the committee discussed AGB's viability but reached no decision.

Meanwhile, the civil aviation and tourism ministry has reviewed the proposal and prepared an internal report questioning the need for such a paramilitary force, sources said.

The report stated that AGB's mandate would overlap with that of agencies currently responsible for aviation security.

AGB is not the first such proposal.

On March 10 this year, CAAB's security department submitted a plan for a new security body called Bangladesh Airport Security Force.

It proposed a force of 10,632 personnel, 70 percent from the air force on deputation — similar to AGB's structure.

An air vice marshal or air commodore was supposed to lead the force, which was projected to cost Tk 397 crore.

CAAB staff protested the plan a week later, staging demonstrations across airports and forcing the then CAAB chairman Air Vice Marshal Md Monjur Kabir Bhuiyan to shelve the proposal.

Following the fall of the Awami League government on August 5 last year, tensions grew between APBn and the air force over who would control airfield security nationwide.

APBn was first posted to Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in April 2010 by the National Committee for Intelligence Coordination. It was tasked with overseeing security at Cox's Bazar airfield in June 2022 and posted to six more airports on February 1, 2024. A total of 2,500 members are currently deployed.

Air force personnel were deployed at Dhaka airport on February 7, 2016, to assist the civil administration for three months.

On August 5, 2024, APBn, like other police units, fell into disarray and abandoned its posts. The air force then stepped in to provide airport security.

After the interim government was formed, APBn attempted to resume duties but found its posts taken over.

Tensions peaked on October 28 when APBn alleged that air force-led aviation security forces trashed its control room at Dhaka airport. The next day, it filed a general diary with Airport Police Station.

The GD stated that equipment from APBn's Airside Command and Control Center office was taken away, the office signboard was damaged, and its logo was replaced with one reading "BAF Task Force".

Close-circuit cameras owned by APBn were found masked with paper, allegedly under orders of the airport's executive director.

On February 16 this year, senior officials from CAAB, police headquarters, and AvSec intervened, leading APBn to withdraw the GD the following day.

But tensions reignited two days later when APBn personnel attempted to reclaim their posts but were reportedly barred from entering the airport.

On September 17, Chief Adviser's Special Envoy on International Affairs Lutfey Siddiqi chaired a meeting on airport security in an effort to resolve the impasse.

It was decided there that all agencies at the airport will function under CAAB, and APBn was asked to resume security duties at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

Civil Aviation Ministry Adviser SK Bashir Uddin, CAAB chairperson, and Inspector General of Police Baharul Alam were present at the meeting.