Cox’s Bazar International Airport To Open In November

Expanding regional air transport infrastructure and positioning the coastal resort town on the international aviation map, the newly modernized Cox’s Bazar International Airport is scheduled for formal inauguration this November. The announcement was made on Monday, 12 October 2026, by Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism M Rashiduzzaman Millat, while addressing a high-level consultative meeting at the Bangladesh Secretariat in Dhaka on launching international scheduled flights.

Chaired by Civil Aviation Secretary Fahmida Akhter, the meeting convened civil aviation regulators alongside country managers of domestic and international airlines to evaluate regulatory readiness, operational logistics, and slot allocations. The minister underscored that transforming Cox’s Bazar into a premier global tourism hub hinges on direct international air access, enabling inbound leisure travelers from around the world to touch down directly on the southeastern coast without domestic transits.

Highlighting regional geography, the minister pointed out the close aerial proximity between Cox's Bazar and Kunming, the capital of China's landlocked Yunnan Province. Establishing direct non-stop corridors on this route presents a commercially viable opportunity for Chinese operators such as China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Airlines. Concurrently, low-cost carrier AirAsia is finalizing operational preparations to launch direct services linking Penang with Cox’s Bazar, while Flydubai has expressed commercial interest in initiating a Cox’s Bazar–Bangkok–Dubai routing. The government is actively reviewing financial and operational incentive schemes to support scheduled airlines pioneering these new routes.

Addressing media personnel earlier during a press briefing, the minister touched upon the ripple effects of the recent security incident at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. He noted that the disruption represents an unforeseen international aviation emergency that forced the cancellation of 10 departures from Dhaka, impacting over 3,400 Middle East-bound passengers. He emphasized that aviation and immigration authorities have been deployed with strict contingency guidelines to mitigate passenger distress and clear backlogs as soon as overseas terminal operations normalize.

The consultative session was attended by Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) Chairman Air Vice Marshal Md Mostafa Mahmud Siddiq, Biman Bangladesh Airlines Managing Director and CEO Kaizar Sohel Ahmed, along with senior civil aviation officials and airline industry executives, official sources confirmed.

 //DBTech/TEP/SME/MIST//