Jashore Airport loses passengers for Padma Bridge

Jashore Airport is facing a deepening crisis as passenger numbers continue to decline, with improved road and rail connectivity through the Padma Bridge reshaping travel patterns and prompting airlines to suspend or reduce services on the Dhaka-Jashore route.

US-Bangla Airlines suspended its Dhaka-Jashore flights from 16 July, citing a prolonged fall in passenger demand. The move has raised concerns over the future of air connectivity to Bangladesh's south-western region.

Following the suspension, Biman Bangladesh Airlines remains the only carrier serving the route, operating two flights a week, according to airport sources.

US-Bangla Airlines General Manager Kamrul Islam said the airline had been forced to suspend the service because passenger numbers had fallen below commercially viable levels.

"An aircraft needs at least 70 percent of its seats filled to cover operating costs. But for a long time, we were unable to carry more than 50 percent of capacity on this route," he said.

The airline once operated up to six daily flights between Dhaka and Jashore. However, declining demand gradually reduced the schedule to a single daily service before operations were suspended altogether.

The sharp fall in passenger traffic has been closely linked to the opening of the Padma Bridge and the subsequent expansion of rail connectivity between Dhaka and Jashore.

The bridge opened on 25 June 2022, while direct rail services via the bridge began in late 2024, providing travellers with faster, cheaper and more convenient alternatives to air travel.

Data from the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) illustrates the scale of the decline.

Jashore Airport handled 405,900 passengers in the 2021-22 financial year. The figure dropped to 221,070 in 2022-23, the first full financial year after the Padma Bridge opened.

Passenger traffic continued to fall in subsequent years, reaching just 48,408 in the 2025-26 financial year.

In four years, the airport lost more than 350,000 passengers.

The decline has already forced private airlines to withdraw from the route. Novoair suspended its Dhaka-Jashore service on 5 August 2025, while US-Bangla progressively reduced operations before ending the service.

Aviation industry insiders say the trend demonstrates how major transport infrastructure can fundamentally change domestic travel patterns, particularly on shorter routes.

The Padma Bridge has dramatically improved road connectivity between Dhaka and the south-western region, while direct rail services have intensified competition for domestic airlines.

Jashore is not the only airport affected. Barishal Airport also experienced a sharp decline in passenger numbers following the opening of the Padma Bridge. Private airlines gradually withdrew from the route, leaving Biman Bangladesh Airlines as the sole operator.

Biman currently operates three weekly flights between Dhaka and Barishal.

With private carriers now withdrawing from Jashore, concerns are growing that the airport could face a similar future.

Reduced air services could affect business travellers, tourists and residents of the south-western region who rely on faster connections with the capital.

Aviation experts say Jashore Airport's long-term future will depend on whether airlines can develop commercially viable operations through improved scheduling, competitive fares and stronger links with regional business and tourism.

For now, however, the airport faces a difficult reality. As the Padma Bridge and expanded rail network make surface transport faster, cheaper and more convenient, air travel is steadily losing its traditional advantage on the Dhaka-Jashore route.