Bangladesh has delayed plans to hand over the management of the Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong to Thailand's national carrier, news reports said on Saturday.
Bangladesh's Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry informed Thai Airways International (THAI) that the handover, originally scheduled for Wednesday, would be delayed for at least a month due to political opposition, the Bangkok Post quoted THAI executives as saying.
Bangladesh's Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said authorities were reviewing the 10-year airport management contract that THAI was granted on December 1.
The delay was reportedly caused by stiff opposition to the handover by Biman Bangladesh Airlines, the country's national airline, and others.
"I think this is one of the internal political problems that many of us expected. We are prepared to give them time to find solutions," THAI's vice president Doosdee Smuthkochoirn told the Bangkok Post.
THAI stands to earn $9 million a year in fees for running the airport.