Cox’s Bazar International Airport launch shifts to November

The government plans to inaugurate Cox’s Bazar International Airport in November, revising an earlier target of October, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat said today.

“Preparations are underway to inaugurate the international airport in November,” Millat said while speaking at a meeting with representatives of domestic and foreign airlines at the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism in Dhaka, according to a ministry press release.

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He said the facility would play an important role in developing Cox’s Bazar into an international tourism hub.

Speaking to journalists at the Secretariat earlier, the minister said his ministry hoped to secure Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s schedule for the first week of November for the inauguration, state news agency BSS reported. The date would be announced once the prime minister’s schedule was confirmed, he said.

The Daily Star reported on September 24 that the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) had been targeting the third week of October for the inauguration, although uncertainty remained over which airlines would operate international flights from the airport.

At today's meeting, participants discussed infrastructure development and the arrangements required to introduce international services. Country managers of domestic and foreign airlines shared their views on the prospects of launching direct flights.

Millat said AirAsia was working towards launching direct flights between Cox’s Bazar and Penang in Malaysia. He also welcomed flydubai’s interest in operating on the Cox’s Bazar-Bangkok-Dubai route.

Referring to Cox’s Bazar’s proximity to Kunming, the capital of China’s Yunnan province, the minister said direct air connectivity between the two cities could present a promising opportunity for China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Airlines.

The government was also considering financial incentives for airlines launching new flights, he said.

The meeting was chaired by Civil Aviation and Tourism Secretary Fahmida Akhtar.

CAAB Chairman Air Vice Marshal Md Mostafa Mahmud Siddiq, Biman Bangladesh Airlines Managing Director and CEO Kaizer Sohel Ahmed, and representatives of the ministry and domestic and foreign airlines attended the meeting.