Cox's Bazar airport faces readiness questions ahead of October launch

Bangladesh's Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat announced that Cox's Bazar International Airport will be inaugurated this October by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, with Biman Bangladesh Airlines and 'different international airlines' set to begin flights to the country's premier beach destination.

Speaking to the Aviation and Tourism Journalists' Forum of Bangladesh in late August, Millat said several foreign carriers had 'already expressed interest'.

Before asking whether the airport will open on schedule, a more basic question needs to be considered: what has been built?

What has actually been built

The runway work dates to 2012, when the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) extended it from 6,775 to 9,000 feet and widened it to 200 feet. A much larger upgrade, approved in November 2018, extended the runway further into the Bay of Bengal, with the government's stated estimate at the time standing at Tk 1,568.86 crore.

CAAB signed the construction contract in February 2021, adding 1,700 feet largely through land reclamation. The work, inaugurated later that year, was described by officials as the beginning of a 'comprehensive development project' covering both the runway and a new terminal.

The terminal was developed under a separate contract, with the government putting its cost at roughly Tk 362 crore. It was designed to handle 1.8 million passengers annually. A further contract for additional runway work was cited in 2025 reporting at Tk 1,794 crore, with completion targeted for December 2026.

These are the government's stated estimates at the time of approval, not an audited final cost. CAAB has not published a consolidated total, and this report does not attempt to reconcile one.

Aviation analyst ATM Nazrul Islam described the original premise: 'The primary concept was that it would serve as a refuelling hub and a regional mini-tourism gateway,' given Cox's Bazar's proximity to Myanmar, Indonesia and Malaysia. He added that this was contingent on 'complete supporting infrastructure for airlines to actually utilise it.'

Why it was built this way

Air Vice Marshal (Retd) Mafidur Rahman, former chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB), described the same tourism motivation, along with a rarely discussed rationale: national security.

Cox's Bazar sits at 'a vital strategic position for safeguarding our maritime boundary and territorial airspace', he said, making a dual-use civil-military airport more cost-effective than a standalone military one.

Explaining the engineering logic behind the runway, he said widebody aircraft flying from Dhaka or Chittagong face 'weight penalties' that prevent full-load take-offs. The runway extended into the sea was designed to eliminate that limitation.

'Cox's Bazar Airport is not commercially viable for commercial airlines to operate at this moment,' he said, adding that 'the motivation stems from a long-term strategic vision focused primarily on unlocking tourism, and the upcoming Matarbari deep-sea port.'

Regulatory and operational readiness

Mafidur Rahman was direct about the airport's current readiness: 'In one word: No.'

A new terminal building is being prepared for international operations, but the airport cannot be considered operationally fit to be declared a full international gateway until complete safety and security standards are met, support services are integrated, and border-control processes and clear sterile zones are established.

He added that CAAB may currently face challenges in sparing sufficient trained air traffic controllers, as staff are stretched across existing operations and preparations for Dhaka's upcoming Terminal 3.

On compliance, he pointed to ICAO Annex 14's Obstacle Limitation Surfaces (OLS), which require a 500-foot obstruction-free clearance around the airfield. Cox's Bazar does not meet that standard.

Establishments remain within the zone outside the airport fence, which CAAB had asked the civil administration several times, through the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, to demolish. Inside the airport, the old terminal, an old fire-vehicle shed and land held by another government body still need to be relocated.

All of these, he said, should be cleared before October, 'otherwise, during the next ICAO audit, Bangladesh risks receiving an ICAO safety concern,' tarnishing the country's image.

No longer serving as chairman, Rahman said he was not certain whether action had been taken, but believed the obstructions remained.

Nazrul Islam's checklist for readiness went beyond the runway and terminal to include navigation and air-traffic systems, immigration, customs and security processing, ground handling, cargo, fuel supply and landside connectivity.

'Capacity is not traffic,' he said. 'A long runway is an asset, but an airline does not operate an aircraft simply because a runway is available.'

The view from an airline

Kamrul Islam, General Manager of Public Relations at US-Bangla Airlines, said little changes with a gazette notification alone.

'Full recognition as an international airport will only come when foreign airlines actually begin operating flights,' he said.

For a carrier like his, 'there is very little likelihood of finding enough passenger volume' for onward routes to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur or Kolkata, since Chittagong draws passengers from a wide catchment while Cox's Bazar 'relies almost exclusively on local... passengers'.

He questioned whether Cox's Bazar has 'truly reached the level of a complete tourist destination'.

Nazrul Islam framed the commercial calculus in policy terms: competitive and predictable landing and passenger charges 'at least during the initial years', flexible traffic rights and convenient slots.

On sequencing, he said, 'airlines should be involved before the airport opens, not after.'

Biman's only proposed international route from Cox's Bazar is to Kolkata, and that too via Dhaka. Air Arabia showed interest.

Optimism, with gaps beneath it

Not everyone shares the caution.

Anwar Kamal, President of the Tour Operators Association of Cox's Bazar, called the launch 'a hopeful beacon' for new revenue across the local economy.

Mohammad Rafeuzzaman, former president of the Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh (TOAB), sees an underexploited market in landlocked neighbours.

'Nepal and Bhutan have no sea or beaches,' he explained. He also hopes for transit tourism from long-haul layovers.

Current figures, however, show tourist demographics leaning heavily towards domestic visitors. Nazrul Islam recalled 'over 90%... domestic tourists, while foreign tourists make up less than 10%'.

On hotels specifically, Mukim Khan, General Secretary of the Cox's Bazar Hotel-Motel-Resort Owners' Association, said, 'hotel availability is not the issue', citing existing five-star and four-star capacity. But he said overall destination management needs attention.

Kamrul Islam cited the absence of entertainment, nightlife, water sports and visa-on-arrival options.

Kamal identified further gaps, including the lack of a government-managed tourist-demographics database, 'severely limited' currency exchange facilities and no dedicated hospitality training centres, despite roughly 1,000 hotels between Cox's Bazar and St Martin's Island.

Rafeuzzaman had previously argued that tourism needs its own standalone ministry. Civil aviation and tourism currently share one, with tourism's budget share reported at around 10% of the ministry's total budget allocation.

TOAB has long pushed for a dedicated foreign-tourist zone with international-standard nightlife and recreation. Khan proposes phased routes towards Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Dubai and the Maldives, leveraging existing expatriate communities, alongside promotional fares and marketing.

Nazrul Islam sees a pattern: 'Sylhet was declared international to serve London expatriates, but foreign carriers never came. If you don't build the surrounding ecosystem, declaring an airport 'international' achieves very little.'

What comes next

Mafidur Rahman said that if the present government is determined to make Cox's Bazar a tourism hub, making it an international airport is the right choice, but it is imperative to address the encroachments, operational shortcomings and staffing gaps first, and to hold off on full international operations until ICAO's requirements are genuinely met.

Nazrul Islam frames success differently — not by the declaration, but by 'how many international operators come, how frequently they operate... and whether the airport generates sustainable passenger and cargo traffic'.

Treating the project 'only as an airport project' risks Bangladesh ending up 'with excellent infrastructure but insufficient utilisation like other two international airports'.

Kamrul Islam shared a hopeful note: 'We as airline professionals hope Cox's Bazar will be transformed into a full-fledged tourist destination', acknowledging that since the government decided to make it an international airport, they likely did so as part of a broader overarching plan.

The signal worth watching this October is not the ribbon-cutting, but whether an airline puts Cox's Bazar into a published international schedule and whether that schedule holds.