Cox’s Bazar Airport is set to become Bangladesh’s fourth international gateway from July, as the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) moves to complete necessary preparations, including immigration and customs facilities, to initiate international flight operations.
The development was confirmed today at a coordination meeting chaired by CAAB Chairman Air Vice-Marshal Md Monjur Kabir Bhuiyan, attended by key stakeholders including representatives from Biman Bangladesh Airlines, immigration police, customs authorities, and the Airline Operators Committee.
“We will be fully ready to operate international flights by narrow-bodied aircraft from Cox’s Bazar in July,” a senior CAAB official told the news agency BSS following the meeting.
“Biman has already been instructed to prepare for launching international routes from the airport,” he said.
The transformation of Cox’s Bazar Airport into an international facility is part of a comprehensive development project launched in 2021.
The project encompasses the extension of the existing runway and the construction of a new terminal building, enabling round-the-clock flight operations.
CAAB officials said that by July, the runway extension—an additional 1,700 feet built into the Bay of Bengal—will be complete, bringing the total runway length to 10,700 feet (3.26 km).
Once completed, it will be the longest runway in Bangladesh, they said.
Initially, international flights will operate from the current terminal building on an adhoc basis.
The new state-of-the-art international terminal is expected to be completed later and will be capable of handling all kind of wide-bodied aircraft.
