Experimental flight operations have officially started from newly built terminal at Cox’s Bazar Airport on Monday.
The first flight from the facility was operated by private carrier US-Bangla Airlines, departing at 8:50am with around 70 passengers onboard.
Although the official inauguration of the terminal is scheduled for October, all domestic flights will now operate from this new building.
Confirming the matter, Cox’s Bazar Airport Director Golam Mortoza Hossain said an official notification was issued on Thursday to all airport departments and airlines including national flag carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines, US-Bangla Airlines, Novoair, and Air Astra to take necessary preparations.
Musa Ahmed, official in charge of US-Bangla Airlines in Cox’s Bazar, noted that the new terminal offers modern facilities that fulfill a long-standing demand from passengers and airlines.
He added that the government decided to commence flight operations from the new building to serve popular tourist destination while project planning for international operations continues.
Airport Director Mortoza informed that the new terminal features 14 check-in counters, allowing airlines the option to use separate counters if desired. Under this arrangements, Novoair and Air Astra will share check-in counters.
Modernisation work at the airport has been underway for several years to develop the nation’s primary tourist city into an international aviation hub and expand the tourism industry.
The main feature of the project is expanding the runway by 1,700 feet into the sea. This expansion increases the runway length from 9,000 feet to 10,700 feet, making it longer than the runway at Dhaka’s Shahjalal International Airport.
The project began on 29 August 2021 at an estimated cost of Tk1,868 crore. Along with the new terminal building, modern aviation infrastructure is being added under this initiative.
Once the offshore sea runway opens, wide-body aircraft including the Boeing 777-300ER and Dash 8 Q400 will easily be able to land and take off. The new runway is expected to become fully operational in October.
Meanwhile, Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) Chairman Air Vice Marshal Mostafa Mahmood Siddiq inspected preparations at the new terminal building last Wednesday.
He said that following domestic operations, international flight operations are slated to be inaugurated at the airport next month.
