The newly built terminal at Cox’s Bazar airport will begin handling domestic passengers next week, ahead of planned international operations in October, as part of efforts to transform the tourism hub into an international airport.
“From next week, the new terminal will be used for both arrivals and departures of domestic passengers,” Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) Chairman Air Vice Marshal Md Mostafa Mahmood Siddiq said.
Siddiq made the remarks after a final preparatory visit to the airport on Wednesday. He said all domestic airlines operating from Cox’s Bazar had completed preparations to shift passenger-handling activities to the new terminal.
Airlines will initially use golf carts to transport passengers between aircraft and the terminal, he said.
“After starting domestic operations, we will inaugurate international operations next month from this airport,” Siddiq said.
Sohail Majid, director of marketing and sales at NOVOAIR, said the airline had completed preparations and conducted a successful test run at the new terminal.
“We have made all the necessary preparations, including deploying golf carts to use the new terminal,” he said.
The government plans to formally inaugurate Cox’s Bazar airport for international operations in October following a major expansion programme that includes the new terminal and an extension of the runway into the Bay of Bengal.
Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat has said he hopes Biman Bangladesh Airlines and foreign carriers will eventually operate international flights from Cox’s Bazar.
CAAB Member (Operations and Planning) Air Commodore Abu Sayeed Mehboob Khan said the airport would adopt a hybrid passenger-handling system once international operations begin.
Under the arrangement, all international arriving and departing passengers will use the new terminal. Domestic arriving passengers will use the existing terminal, while domestic departing passengers will check in at the new terminal before moving to the old terminal for boarding.
The new terminal is part of a broader CAAB programme under the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism to bring the airport up to international standards and enable it to handle wide-body aircraft.
Cox’s Bazar is currently one of Bangladesh’s busiest domestic airports, handling an average of 28 to 30 passenger aircraft take-offs and landings a day.
CAAB has implemented two development projects and one technical project to expand the airport and establish direct air connectivity between the country’s main tourism destination and international markets.
The international passenger terminal covers around 17,956 square metres and was built under a project with an approved cost of about 362.63 crore taka.
It has a departure lounge for 450 international passengers, duty-free facilities, a boarding bridge, lifts, escalators, conveyor belts, check-in counters and immigration facilities for both arrivals and departures.
Four immigration counters have been installed for departing passengers and six for arriving passengers, while two baggage belts have been provided for international arrivals. The terminal also has public-address and Flight Information Display Systems, signage, CCTV and heavy hand-luggage scanning facilities.
The airport’s annual passenger-handling capacity is expected to increase from around 730,000 to 1.8 million following the expansion.
A 36,300-square-metre apron capable of accommodating two wide-body aircraft and three Dash-8 aircraft, along with two taxiways, has also been completed and brought into operation. Parking for 35 VIP and 90 general vehicles, internal roads and other supporting infrastructure have been added.
The airport has also received ICAO certification following verification of the standards required for international operations.
The airport’s runway has been extended from 9,000 feet to 10,700 feet, making it the longest runway in Bangladesh.
Around 43 hectares of land were reclaimed from the Bay of Bengal for the 1,700-foot extension, which is designed to accommodate fully loaded wide-body aircraft such as the Boeing 777-300ER and Boeing 747-400.
The runway extension project has an approved cost of 3,709.61 crore taka, while its contract value is 1,794.31 crore taka. Chinese joint venture CYWEB-CCECC JV implemented the project.
The project also includes about 2,200 feet of precision approach lighting extending into the sea and a CAT-II Airfield Ground Lighting system to support safe aircraft operations.
A 1.89-kilometre protective embankment has been constructed to shield the runway from cyclones, storm surges and other natural disasters. Security fencing, patrol roads and an 8,149-metre drainage system are also part of the project.
The government expects direct international air connectivity to bring more foreign tourists to Cox’s Bazar and encourage investment in hotels, resorts and other tourism-related businesses.