Caab Pushes Forward With Bold Plan To Launch International Flights From Cox’s Bazar By July: Latest Updates

Thursday, July 17, 2025

The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) continues to insist that world flights from Cox’s Bazar International Airport will statesman by nan extremity of July contempt aggregate interruptions to infrastructure work. It is simply a awesome departure pinch nan strategy of processing Bangladeshi aviation, arsenic good arsenic location connectivity, and The CAAB’s bottomline appears to be, to transcend past nan impediments successful its improvement way and to create nan airdrome arsenic a early important node of world travel.

Want much news? Listen to today’s regular briefing:Cox’s Bazar, nan tract of picturesque beaches and a increasing tourism business, has for years been considered good suited for world flights. Expansion and modernization of Cox’s Bazar International will beforehand tourism and support location aerial connectivity, frankincense making nan airdrome a cardinal transit constituent for a business and picnic traveler, nan connection added. The roadworthy to establishing nan airdrome arsenic an world position was riddled pinch obstacles, though.

Infrastructural and Administrative Hurdles Persist

Even arsenic CAAB continues to move forward, nan task faces superior unresolved infrastructure and governance challenges. A large hurdle is nan truth that adjacent to 40% of nan airdrome description still remains to beryllium done. Construction setbacks, particularly successful narration to nan airport’s terminal building, runway extension, etc., person further stretched nan timeline.

Take, for example, that nan terminal building isn’t owed to beryllium completed for 9 months. The acquisition of cardinal onshore required for nan airdrome description is besides pending arsenic 3,300 families proceed to unrecorded connected nan airdrome land. The move-out of these tenants has been pushed backmost and that has made logistical readying for CAAB much difficult.

Secondly, while much than half of nan runway has already been extended, including immoderate 1,300ft of description complete water, improvement of nan perimeter wall/patrol roads and different information infrastructure is presently stalled. The CAAB has not been capable to get support from nan International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to tally world flights, and truthful technically does not meet world standards, he said.

A Resolve Against nan Odds

In immoderate event, contempt these obstacles, CAAB is pressing up pinch nan description of world flights from Cox’s Bazar. At a typical gathering successful April 2025, nan CAAB Chairman presided complete a gathering wherever it was decided that preparations for world services should begin. The officials of nan CAAB successful a merchandise made it clear that nan full infrastructure of nan airdrome is yet to beryllium ready, but it has taken nan basal steps to grip world flights.

Construction of nan terminal building is down schedule, but is underway and respective main accommodation are successful astatine slightest partial operation. The runway extension, needed to accommodate immoderate larger world flights, is now 96 percent complete. The lighting for nan precision attack and an craft landing alloy span is adjacent to being finished, too. But nan complete information system for nan description , including nan perimeter wall and patrol roads, is still agelong from being completed, and that, successful turn, whitethorn postpone nan task moreover longer.

It continues to beryllium a noteworthy impediment that ICAO has yet to o.k. nan practice. The support is neither successful process nor granted yet and CAAB is intensifying pushing for nan speedy lifting of nan approvals from nan concerned overseas authorities. Without this certification, nan airdrome would beryllium moving world flights which would beryllium technically forbidden nether globa aviation laws.

Government Support and Funding Challenges

A deficiency of costs is 1 of nan bottlenecks causing nan delay. Though pinch an other finance of astir TK 100 crore, nan authorities has still grounded to allocate nan required money to complete nan project. CAAB is negotiating pinch nan authorities to resoluteness this problem and put financing. The finance hold has affected galore areas of nan description , including an earlier arguable nationalist tender process, basal infrastructure being built and purchasing nan materials to decorativeness nan last stages of construction.

The gait has slowed fixed sustained fund constriction, arsenic good arsenic difficulties successful onshore acquisition and clearing residents. However, CAAB is hopeful that nan authorities would very soon free nan required costs for nan task to instrumentality it.

Future Prospects for nan Airport

Notwithstanding nan obstacles, CAAB’s ambition for Cox’s Bazar International Airport remains semipermanent and regionally connected. Upon completion, nan airdrome will boast modern infrastructure and will beryllium equipped pinch cutting-edge Airfield Ground Lighting (AGL) strategy that will alteration nan installation to grip night-time operations safely. The plans see illuminated pavements, flood defences, and a linear ray installation on nan seafront which will service to amended functionality, while besides beautifying nan airport.

CAAB has immoderate different updgradtion scheme arsenic good to uplift nan airdrome to International standard. This besides includes implementation of nan latest information & information systems and amended accommodation for nan overseas passengers utilizing nan airports.

The Vision for Regional Connectivity

The authorities of Bangladesh has eyed Cox’s Bazar arsenic a imaginable location aerial recreation hub, particularly for nan tourism industry. As it is located truthful adjacent to salient tourer destinations successful Bangladesh and neighboring countries nan ATR successful nan area has imaginable for attracting tourism and spurring location economical development.

When completed arsenic an world airport, Cox’s Bazar will hopefully beryllium a gateway for visitors and nan aerial connectivity hub during earthy disasters aliases for immoderate emergent purposes. This will heighten location aerial recreation connectivity benefiting recreation betwixt Bangladesh and neighbouring countries.

Conclusion: A Future of Promise and Challenge

Amid nan challenges to complete Cox’s Bazar International Airport, nan CAAB continues to beryllium committed to seeing nan motorboat of nan world flights earlier nan extremity of July, nan authority said. As a consequence of extended improvements successful description of infrastructure which is underway now, CAAB is hopeful that nan airdrome would beryllium capable to flooded challenges to meet world standards and look arsenic a key-player successful nan aviation assemblage for location aerial connectivity.

Close collaboration betwixt nan authorities, CAAB and each nan parties progressive will beryllium important to reside these challenges and to debar delays to nan planned description of nan airport. Backed by nan authorities and world aviation regulators, Cox’s Bazar International Airport is group to go a awesome subordinate successful Bangladesh’s expanding aviation industry.

Source: unb.com.bd