Cox's Bazar Airport's international status put on hold
Circular to be issued on Sunday (26 October)
The government has decided to suspend the gazette that declared Cox's Bazar Airport as an international airport.
Group Captain Md Nur-e-Alam, president of the Cox's Bazar Airport International Flight Committee, confirmed the development to The Business Standard today (24 October).
He said an official circular in this regard will be issued on Sunday (26 October).
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Earlier, on 12 October, the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism had issued a gazette notification declaring Cox's Bazar Airport as an international airport. However, the construction of its new terminal building — covering about 11,000 square feet — has not yet been completed.
According to sources at the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB), the necessary facilities required for international airport operations have not been fully prepared. Moreover, no foreign airline has yet confirmed plans to operate flights from Cox's Bazar.
Earlier this month, Sk Bashir Uddin, adviser to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, had announced that international flights from Cox's Bazar would begin soon. He said operations would start with a single international flight and gradually expand to include more destinations.
Biman Bangladesh Airlines had planned to operate one weekly flight on the Cox's Bazar-Dhaka-Kolkata-Cox's Bazar route in the first phase, with the possibility of increasing frequency based on passenger demand.
