The Milestone Tragedy: How Negligence in Aviation and Urban Planning Led to a National Catastrophe

It was like any other day in July, scorching hot in Dhaka, Bangladesh. A schoolyard was just about to fill with the noisy chatting of young students. Parents were waiting outside the classrooms for the bell to ring; only then could they return home with their kids in their arms. But instead of the expected day filled with life and the joyful return of children to their homes, at that very moment, a devastating catastrophe awaited the nation. A fighter jet descended and crashed into Milestone School and College in Dhaka, snatching away the innocent lives of children, shattering the dreams of parents forever, and shaking the soul of the country. This was not a natural catastrophe; it was a tragedy committed by human hands. Where the urban authority recklessly and continuously gambles with the lives of dwellers, now this time with the children.

This incident throws a lot of questions at us. While we are immersed in talking about sustainable cities and urban development, right here in that very city, just beside the busiest airport, a school with thousands of students is situated. Is this a mere accident or a man-made disaster, caused by a lack of proper multi-sectoral urban development planning, bureaucratic mismanagement, and breaches of laws? How has Bangladesh, as a rapidly urbanizing country, been exposed to this kind of aviation disaster? How can the urban development authorities in Dhaka claim to pursue urban sustainability? Whereas, according to the United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (2013), the four pillars define urban sustainability as follows: economic development, social development, environmental management, and effective urban governance. So the urbanization doesn’t mean the expansion of unplanned cities, rather it means a multidimensional development plan that can anticipate and mitigate possible disasters (United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2013).

A National Tragedy: A Reminder of Urban Planning Failures

On Monday, July 21, 2025, when a Chinese-made F-7 BGI training aircraft of the Bangladesh Air Force crashed into a Milestone School and College building near Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, leading to the death of at least 36 innocent souls, mostly children, including the pilot, and injuring more than 170. Instantly, the air was weighed down with the cries of little children and turning the school campus into a harrowing scene of smoke, flames, and chaos.

When the photo and video were spread online, the internet exploded with posts and questions. Aftermath of the accident, people were counting the loss of innocent lives and trying to find out how this could happen to the purest souls. Why does a failure of training aircraft turn into a nightmare? How could a school's premises be situated neighboring area of a major international airport? The whole nation was traumatized not only with grief but also with a harsh realization: this heart-wrenching tragedy was not just a freaking accident; it was the consequence of flawed urban planning and regulatory failure. The key controversy lies regarding the location of the Milestone School and College. How? Because the school is situated in a forbidden zone!

Bypassing Regulations Acted as a Catalyst for the Tragedy

International and national rules and norms, including guidelines of the International Civil Aviation

Organization (ICAO), highlight the inherent dangers of constructing high-rise buildings, especially for public facilities like schools and hospitals near airport runways. Therefore, such constructions everywhere in the world are strictly regulated to ensure aviation and public safety. However, the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) has guidelines in order to keep the aircraft approach and departure corridors clear of any obstacles. As per CAAB and ICAO rules, there is an Obstacle Limitation Surface (OLS) around the airports, which specifies the maximum height limits to any buildings to maintain the safe takeoff and landing. Specifically, all buildings on the takeoff and landing routes are deemed to be very risky and must be subjected to very serious height and usage restrictions. Whereas, CAAB allows buildings up to 10 stories within a five kilometers radius of an airport runway. Yet, Milestone School and College is one of the largest educational institutions in Dhaka, situated within about five kilometres from the runway of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, which is the busiest airport in Bangladesh, handling flights from domestic and international airlines.

On July 25, 2025, at a press conference, experts from the Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP) said that the school campus in Diabari, Uttara, is dangerously situated in an unsafe zone, as the institution is within the approach area (takeoff and landing areas) of the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. According to them, this position also poses risks to aviation operations and health hazards like noise pollution and carbon emissions. According to the BIP’s rapid assessment report on Milestone School Plane Crash: State's Responsibility in Public Safety and Development Control, Milestone's location violates international urban safety standards. The presence of a school building in the inner approach runway of the airport is a clear violation of international principles. The heavily populated building compromised the Obstacle Limitation Surfaces, thereby posing imminent danger to both occupants and aircraft activities. These international regulations are supposed to protect human life and nature, yet how could they be so

easily bypassed? The Capital Development Authority in Bangladesh, known as RAJUK, Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha, is responsible for planning, development, and regulation in the Dhaka metropolitan area. It also has the responsibility of preparing and implementing the Detailed Area Plan (DAP), which provides a detailed framework for the management of lands, regulations related to zoning, and the development of infrastructure around the city. In this instance, the urban planning department (RAJUK) and the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) failed to prevent the construction of buildings within the buffer zone against the obstacle limitation

surfaces and the principles of coordination as prescribed in ICAO. This double burden of negligence leads to the Milestone catastrophe.

Uttara: Urban Swallowed Wetlands

Now, to understand the root of this tragedy, we must look back to a few decades ago, to see the

transformation of Diabari, Uttara, the neighborhood housing Milestone School. Wetlands and agricultural lands surrounded the Hazrat Shahajalal International Airport. These lands were recognized as a natural buffer protecting the airport and local communities against urbanization and hazards.The (1995-2015) Dhaka Metropolitan Development Plan (DMDP) officially provided a framework for the legal protection of wetlands in the Dhaka metropolitan area, including Uttara. However, as a result of the high rate of population growth and migration, Dhaka sprawled near the airport. Natural wetlands have been filled with residential colonies, commercial areas, and schools, including Milestone School. This unregulated urbanization and lenient enforcement facilitated extensive land-filling and construction, resulting in the Milestone tragedy. RAJUK authorized construction in Uttara's Diabari area, converting erstwhile protected wetlands into prosperous residential and commercial zones without adequate conformity with zoning laws or environmental conservation.

International Best Practices: Balance between Urban Development & Aviation Safety

In contrast to the Airport in Dhaka city, global cities carefully maintain a balance between urban

development and airport safety. While keeping pace with urbanization, airport authorities worldwide strictly adhere to aviation regulations to ensure sustainable and safe urban expansion. For instance, Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), which was located far from a populated residential area and surrounded by nature, served as a buffer zone. Also, zoning laws are in place, which state that a “10km X 10km, No Development/growth" area, and no residential areas can be developed within the periphery of the airport. Think about the world’s best airport, Singapore Changi Airport. The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) strictly regulate the areas around the Changi Airport in terms of land use and building heights. To reduce noise and avoid densely populated areas, the airport is strategically located in a place where the flight paths run over water. Unlike a mere blanket ban, Singapore incorporates a holistic approach to urban planning, such as the Master Plan by URA for the Changi region, to carefully manage schools and other healthcare facilities within new residential

zones to ensure safety and livability.

Globally, along with the above-mentioned countries, embed aviation safety in their urban development and foster coordination between civil aviation authorities and urban development authorities. Thus, countries integrate regulations set by ICAO into their urban development planning and ensure buffer zones that protect citizens from aviation accidents while accommodating sustainable expansion of urbanization.

Where Bangladesh Went Wrong

Under section 4 of the Civil Aviation Act, 2017, the CAAB has the power to control all the navigable air routes in the airspace of Bangladesh. In addition to this, CAAB has the authority to ban any aircraft flying over densely populated areas at any time by issuing an Air Navigation Order (ANO) under that Act.(Hossain, 2025) And, the jet that crashed into the school was a fighter jet of the Bangladesh Air Force. Here is the loophole in the legal framework: Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) is governed by the Bangladesh Air Force Act, 1953; in addition to this, BAF is exempted from the Civil Aviation Act. Therefore, the BAF is not bound by CAAB’s flight safety rules and restrictions. Now, in the aftermath of the jet crash, this exemption has come under scrutiny. Several legal experts and legal analysts opined that, as a matter of safety, military training flights should also be regulated somehow, especially when such activities take place near populated areas. Milestone School, situated in a dangerous flying zone, not only symbolizes the breach of existing laws and urban planning principles, but also reveals the lack of coordination between CAAB and RAJUK. Both authorities failed to restrict developments in airport flying zones. Approving a school in such a location suggests a serious lapse in this collaborative oversight.

On August 17, 2025, a concept paper on Aviation Emergencies and Civil Risk: Rethinking Disaster

Preparedness in Bangladesh's Airspace was presented by Kazi Wahidul Alam, Editor of the travel trade publication The Bangladesh Monitor, at a round table conference held at Sheraton, Dhaka. In that conference, Wing Commander (Retd) ATM Nazrul Islam, advisor at Aviet-Hansa Aviation Ltd, said,“There is no buffer zone near the airport. We are not prepared for off-airport disasters. There was no command or field hospital at the crash site. As per ICAO, no gatherings should occur under aircraft approach paths, yet we ignore this.’’ (Shams, 2025)

Another shocking finding was revealed by Tanzim Anwar, President of the Aviation and Tourism

Journalists Forum of Bangladesh, that there are 525 illegal structures near the airport area, and the number of pending cases is 158, showcasing a failure of coordination between CAAB and RAJUK.

Urban Sustainability and the Milestone Tragedy: A Call for Change

Urban sustainability is a holistic approach integrating urban policies and planning in a manner that not only addresses ecological, social, and economic dimensions of cities, but also protects human lives through anticipating possible risks towards humanity. The tragedy at Milestone School and College is a painful reminder that ignoring the urban sustainability principles can turn hope to horror. The possible negligence of concerned authorities has revealed a complex web of breaches of international norms. This exposes how vulnerable Dhaka’s urbanization that has collided with the safety of the sky. Bypassing laws and regulations to expand urbanization is unlikely to be successful. The expansion of urban areas is not just for economic growth, but for life itself. The disaster at Milestone calls for a change and redevelopment plan for Dhaka

city that will ensure the safety of its residents. The tragedy exposes the systematic failure in urban planning and governance, since a wetland that played the role of a buffer zone for aviation has now been turned into a residential area. Future disasters can be avoided by ensuring that ICAO compliance and enforcement are adhered to and urban planning needs to be overhauled. This leaves us with a sad plea that Bangladesh must embrace the best practices internationally, integrate properly the urban development and the aviation safety, and develop a sustainable future where growth does not come at the cost of innocent lives. Let us honor the

victims’ memories by demanding a new vision of urban sustainability for Dhaka.