Cox's Bazar Airport almost ready to handle large aircraft



Photo courtesy: Mamunur Rashid Kazi via Wikipedia

Development works on Cox's Bazar Airport are nearing completion, with the authorities expecting to inaugurate the upgraded airport in late October.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) authorities have reported almost 99 per cent progress on the physical works of the airport's passenger terminal building while its runway expansion project also advanced 91.65 per cent as of August-end.

"If everything goes accordingly, the airport is expected to handle international flights and larger aircraft more efficiently by the end of next month (October)," said an official.

The international passenger terminal building, being developed at a cost of approximately Tk 3.62 billion, has already seen most of its major construction and installation works completed.

Facilities of the 17,956-square-metre terminal include an international departure lounge with a capacity of 450 passengers, boarding bridge, lifts, escalators, conveyor belts, check-in counters and immigration facilities, according to the CAAB.

The project also includes an arrival lounge, security and communication systems, internal roads, a pump house, deep tube-well, and other supporting infrastructure. Works on 35 VIP and 90 general car parking spaces were also under way.

The terminal project is scheduled for completion by December 2026, with cumulative physical and financial progress reaching 98.97 per cent and 93.78 per cent respectively.

Meanwhile, the runway expansion project is being implemented to make the airport suitable for wide-body aircraft operations. Under the project, the existing 9,000-foot runway has been extended to 10,700 feet by reclaiming 43 hectares of land from the sea, sources said.

The runway expansion has already achieved 91.65 per cent physical and 83.77 per cent financial progress, they mentioned.

Once completed, the extended runway is expected to facilitate safer take-off and landing of wide-body aircraft, including Boeing 777-300ER and Boeing 747-400 aircraft. It will also support increased international and domestic passenger and cargo operations.

A separate project is also under way to prepare the design and feasibility studies for transforming Cox's Bazar Airport into a full-fledged international airport and an aviation hub.

The proposed second-phase development envisages international-standard passenger terminal facilities, a control tower, administrative building, car parking, approach roads, STP, jetty, cargo complex, convention and business centre, general aviation facilities, aviation training centre, airport quarantine hospital, parallel taxiway, apron and refuelling system on 682 acres of coastal land.

The overall development is aimed at improving direct air connectivity between Cox's Bazar and Dhaka as well as other major domestic and international destinations, supporting the growth of tourism and increasing passenger and cargo movement through the airport.

At present, 28 to 30 domestic passenger aircrafts take off from or land at the Cox's Bazar airport daily.

Contacted, CAAB Member (Air Traffic Management) Air Commodore Noor-e-Alam said the facility will be fully ready to operate international flights.

"We have informed all the stakeholders and airlines about the Cox's," he mentioned.

Earlier in October last year, the airport's international status was annulled just 11 days after its official announcement, as there was insufficient airline interest in operating international flights and the facility lacked commercial viability at the time.​

Dhaka airport’s 3rd terminal cost rises to Tk 222.13b

The cost of the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport’s third terminal project has increased further, with Tk 6.67 billion required for 30 months of maintenance between January 2025 and June 2027, even though the terminal has yet to begin full-scale operation.

State Minister for Planning Zonayed Abdur Rahim Saki said the additional expenditure also includes costs for settling contractual disputes, completing outstanding works and installing facilities that were not included in the original project scope.

Briefing reporters after Tuesday’s ECNEC meeting, Saki said the government has set December 16 as the target for opening the third terminal, but some essential works will continue until June 2027.

The meeting approved an enhancement of Tk 8.47 billion; in total costs Tk 222.13 billion in the third price amendment, whereas it was Tk 213.65 billion in the second price amendment.

“The terminal will be inaugurated partially on December 16, but some works that are essential for operation will be completed by June 2027,” Saki said.

Saki said the latest revision includes Tk 6.67 billion for 30 months of maintenance from January 2025 to June 2027 following the expiry of the defects notification period.

He said another Tk 2.94 billion has been added following recommendations of an amicable settlement committee to resolve disputes arising from variations in the construction contract.

The revised project also covers several outstanding components, including VIP and VVIP facilities, performance testing of the cargo handling system, the baggage handling system, water and sewage treatment plants, the explosive detection system (EDS) and UPS supply for EDS.

Additional expenditure has also been incurred for equipment maintenance and consultancy supervision, he said.

The state minister said 228 consultants, including 16 foreign and 212 local consultants, are involved in the relevant works, with the additional consultancy cost estimated at Tk 196.7 million.

The project’s tax component has meanwhile been reduced by Tk 1.34 billion, he said.

Saki said some facilities essential for operating a modern international airport were absent from the original project scope.

“For example, high-speed internet connectivity across the terminal area is essential. Immigration facilities also require equipment and systems, not simply personnel standing at counters,” he said.

He said such omissions could occur even after feasibility studies, as the detailed design stage can reveal requirements that were not adequately reflected in the initial project documents.

The state minister said the government was therefore working to reform the feasibility study process so that project estimates and designs are more accurate from the beginning.

He said the government has already initiated steps to make agencies conducting feasibility studies more accountable and prevent feasibility studies from becoming a routine exercise carried out merely to fulfil procedural requirements.

Saki said proposals for these reforms had been prepared based on the experience of the Planning Ministry and line ministries and would be placed before the National Economic Council for approval.

He also said the government had issued clear instructions that project deadlines should not be extended without valid reasons.

“Whenever a project is extended without a logical reason, those responsible will be brought under accountability,” he said.

The Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division has already submitted investigation reports on eight projects, while reports on another three to four projects are expected shortly, he said.

The reports are being sent to the Prime Minister and concerned ministries for necessary action, he added.

Regarding major cost increases in other large projects, including MRT Line-1 and MRT Line-5 North, Saki said changes between preliminary feasibility studies and detailed designs can significantly affect project costs.

He cited underground construction as one factor behind the increased cost of metro rail projects, saying the geological characteristics of Dhaka have required some stations to be constructed at substantially greater depths than initially envisaged.

For the third terminal, however, he stressed that the latest increase had been broken down into specific components, including maintenance costs, additional facilities and settlement of contractual disputes.​

Govt seeks private investment to expand Pangaon terminal

Dwaipayan Barua




Amid increasing container flow at the Pangaon Inland Container Terminal (PICT) in Dhaka, the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) has taken the initiative to expand facilities at the terminal, which has failed to attract exporters and importers for years.

Average monthly container handling at the terminal, which stood at 242 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2024 and 366 TEUs in 2025, rose to around 900 TEUs in the seven months to August this year after the government handed over the terminal to a foreign operator, Switzerland-based logistics firm Medlog.

Against this backdrop, the CPA has invited private firms to develop and operate cargo and container handling facilities on 22 acres of land that remains vacant.

The port authority seeks private investment to manage, develop, supply, maintain and operate the facilities on the vacant land for 22 years, according to a tender published on September 22.

“We have taken the step for proper utilisation of the vacant land,” said CPA Secretary Syed Refayet Hamim.

The Pangaon ICT was built on the bank of the Buriganga River in Keraniganj in 2013 jointly by the CPA and the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) at a cost of Tk 154 crore. It was intended to ease pressure on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway and railway corridors caused by cargo movement.

The CPA took a lease of 48.24 acres of land from the BIWTA to develop the terminal.

The current facility, under the management of Switzerland-based logistics firm Medlog SA, covers 26 acres. There are 22 acres of vacant land beyond the current facility, according to CPA Secretary Refayet.

The terminal had struggled to attract businesses transporting containerised cargo to and from Chattogram Port because of high inland water transport costs, lengthy customs clearance and other obstacles.

The situation has improved since Medlog Bangladesh Private Ltd, a concern of Medlog SA, started operating the terminal on January 17 this year.

As per the tender, interested firms, including their parent or holding companies, must have at least five years of experience in loading and discharging containers to or from vessels, according to the tender document.

They must also have experience in handling, storing and delivering containers and containerised cargo using their own equipment and manpower, with an annual handling capacity of at least 70,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) at any inland river terminal or river port at home or abroad.

ATM Anisul Millat, managing director of Medlog Bangladesh, said container transport through the terminal had already exceeded the total annual throughput of 4,400 TEUs by June this year. He said his firm was interested in participating in the bidding to manage and develop the 22 acres of vacant land at the terminal.​

Govt approves 15-year deal to hand over Chattogram Port’s NCT to foreign operator

Economic affairs committee's approval didn't disclose the name of the foreign operator

Star Business Report


File Photo

The government on Thursday decided to hand over the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) of Chattogram Port to an international terminal operator as it approved the draft concession agreement for the operation and maintenance of the much-talked-about terminal.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Thursday gave approval to the draft concession agreement for 15 years, placed by the Shipping Ministry. The concession agreement will also include the Overflow Container Yard (OCY) of NCT.

The development comes amid protests by different sections, including the Chattogram Bandar Rokkha Songram Parishad, a pro-ruling party workers' platform, opposing the handover of the terminal to a foreign operator.

The economic affairs committee's approval did not mention the name of any foreign operator, and neither Chattogram Port Authority nor Invest Bangladesh Authority commented on when the agreement is expected to be signed.

However, in a statement signed by Mohammad Humayun Kabir and Mohammad Ibrahim Khokon, joint coordinators of the platform, they mentioned the name of the multinational operator DP World and alleged that claims about NCT's equipment being obsolete and equipment availability falling below international standards were misleading and aimed at facilitating the handover.

It said giving DP World operational control could create long-term economic and security risks, including the outflow of revenue and foreign currency and possible job losses for port workers.

The Bandar Rokkha Songram Parishad said NCT generated around Tk 4,500 crore in revenue and Tk 2,500 crore in net income in fiscal 2025-26, and warned that a concession could reduce the government’s earnings and affect jobs at the port.

The platform urged the government to reconsider the draft agreement, which it said had recently been approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.

The Daily Star tried to reach Shipping Secretary Zakaria by phone but could not reach him.

The proposal to hire a foreign operator for the NCT, the largest container-handling facility at the country’s main seaport, Chattogram Port, has been under consideration for several years. The process began in 2019, while the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs gave in-principle approval to appoint an international private operator under the PPP model in March 2023.

The interim government was close to finalising a deal with DP World to operate NCT. But in the wake of a wildcat strike enforced by port employees and workers, it suspended the move just before the parliamentary election held in February this year. The new government has continued the talks, according to the fourth joint public-private partnership platform meeting of Bangladesh and Dubai held in Dubai in April this year.

In June, Chattogram Port Authority formed a 12-member support team to assist the negotiation committee on the NCT.

The terminal, currently operated by Chittagong Dry Dock Ltd, a Bangladesh Navy-controlled company, handles over 40 percent of the port's total container throughput, recorded at 3.5 million TEUs in fiscal year 2025-26.

The NCT, built at a cost of about Tk 2,000 crore in 2007, contains five jetties and 14 of Chattogram Port's 18 quayside gantry cranes.

The NCT will get the fourth foreign operator at Chattogram Port after the appointment of three other foreign firms. In June 2024, operator RSGT International (RSGTI) started handling the Red-Sea Gateway Terminal (RSGT), formerly known as Patenga Container Terminal. By the end of August this year, APM Terminals, a subsidiary of Danish shipping group AP Møller-Maersk, began construction of Laldia Container Terminal in Chattogram. At the beginning of this year, Switzerland-based logistics giant Medlog started handling Pangaon Inland Container Terminal (PICT) in Dhaka’s Keraniganj.​