Published : 14 Oct 2025, 01:51 AM
Updated : 21 Aug 2026, 02:35 PM
The Cox’s Bazar Airport has officially been granted the status of Bangladesh’s fourth international airport.
On Sunday, a government gazette notification declared the airport in the tourism hub of Cox’s Bazar as an international facility.
The other facilities with international status are Dhaka’s Shahjalal, Sylhet’s Osmani, and Chattogram’s Shah Amanat airports.
The gazette cites the Civil Aviation Rules, 1984, authorising the government to make the declaration “in public interest, effective immediately”.
The airport’s upgrade began in 2021 under the Awami League government, aiming to attract foreign tourists. The runway was extended from 6,775ft to 9,000ft as part of the project.
Though a change of government initially created some uncertainty over the ongoing development, construction work continued.
In March, Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus inspected the site. Since then, officials from the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism and the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh have repeatedly reviewed progress.
Despite the government’s push to operate international flights, private airlines remain hesitant, viewing routes from Cox’s Bazar to destinations in the Middle East and the UK as commercially unviable.
Biman, however, plans to launch flights from Cox’s Bazar to Kolkata via Dhaka starting this month, even as private carriers remain reluctant.
