Cox’s Bazar Airport embraces new era. Cox’s Bazar Airport is gearing up to establish itself as Bangladesh’s international aviation entry point with the launch of its new terminal. Operations of passengers on domestic flights will move to the new terminal from 28 September 2026, and on international flights from October.
The new terminal gives contemporary passenger amenities
The new international passenger terminal is approximately 17,956 m2 and has been designed to bring together the facilities for travel to both international and domestic flights. Facilities include check-in counters, immigration facilities, baggage belts, boarding bridges, escalators, lifts, security equipment, and passenger lounges. There is also a departure lounge that accommodates around 450 international travelers. During the first domestic operation, the airline will handle passenger service in the new building. During this first phase, golf carts will be used to shuttle passengers to and from the aircraft.
A longer runway accommodates international flights
The terminal forms part of a larger airport modernization scheme. Something important in the scheme has been the project to extend the length of the runway through reclaiming land from the Bay of Bengal. The length of the runway has been extended from 9000 ft to 10700 ft. The present designed capacity of the extended runway is to cater for fully loaded long-range wide-bodied aircraft like the Boeing 777-300ER and the Boeing 747-400.
Airport capacity expected to increase
The expansion of the airport construction will pave the way to increasing the airport’s passenger-handling capacity tremendously. Per BSS, after the expansion, the annual capacity of passenger handling will be increased from near 730,000 to 1.8 million. Now, the daily number of passenger aircraft is 28 to 30 in Cox’s Bazar. The new amenities are expected to meet the increasing demand by visitors to Bangladesh’s leading tourism spot, Cox’s Bazar.
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Intentions for tourism and aviation
The new airport is also linked to Bangladesh’s broader goals of expanding its access to global markets through Cox’s Bazar. Officials see direct international flights as crucial for wooing overseas tourists to the location and helping it grow as a resort and entertainment destination. The government said that the airport is scheduled to be formally open for international operations by October, with Biman Bangladesh Airlines and other foreign airlines likely to operate from the new destination.
A new chapter in Cox’s Bazar Airport
The new terminal is an important milestone in the ongoing process of expansion at Cox’s Bazar Airport. Alongside the larger terminal, longer runway and additional internationally accepted infrastructure, the airport is being geared toward greater passenger numbers as well as direct international connectivity. This could boost Cox’s Bazar’s position as a tourism port of entry, and for Bangladesh, it as a project reflecting a more general strategy of growing the country’s aviation and air links to the world.
