Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat on Monday said Cox’s Bazar International Airport will be inaugurated in October this year.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is scheduled to open the airport, he said during a meeting with members of the Aviation and Tourism Journalists Forum of Bangladesh (ATJFB) at the Secretariat.

He said international airlines alongside Biman Bangladesh Airlines will operate flights from Cox’s Bazar International Airport.

“Several foreign airlines have already expressed interest in operating flights from Cox’s Bazar,” he said.

The government has taken initiatives to launch direct international flights from Cox’s Bazar through discussions and coordination with international airlines, the minister said, adding that the process of signing the necessary agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) is underway.

Regarding the third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Millat said the government is working towards launching the terminal in December.

“Necessary preparations are underway. An agreement with the Japanese consortium will be signed next month,” he said.

Once operational, the third terminal will increase the airport’s passenger-handling capacity and improve service quality, enabling the airport to provide international-standard facilities, he added.