Dhaka,The Zia International Airport (ZIA) here is set to undergo massive modernization with help from Denmark, including replacement of its twice-repaired radar.

The life of the radar runs out next year.

"We need to replace the radar urgently as the present one is obsolete in the modern air traffic control system," said an official of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB), the executing agency of the project.

The French-built radar system was installed in 1984. In view of the urgency of the project, Civil Aviation Adviser M.A. Matin, in a recent letter to finance adviser Mirza Azizul Islam, requested him to take "personal initiative" for implementation of the project, New Age newspaper said Sunday.

"ZIA will run without radar unless a new one is installed by next year," Matin said in the letter.

With the loss-making national carrier Bangladesh Biman turned a corporation, there are plans to import modern aircraft that would need stronger infrastructure.

The government, under the $52 million 'Upgrading of Zia International Airport' project, has also planned to strengthen the taxiway of the country's largest airport to accommodate the wide-bodied passenger planes that are heavier than other airliners.

"It is crucial for the country that the airport is functioning well. The deterioration of the taxiway and selected parts of the communication equipment is not an acceptable situation as per the ICAO," the CAAB official said.

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