International air traffic nearly doubles, but airports can’t keep up

International air passenger traffic in Bangladesh nearly doubled in two years, reaching 1.26 crore in 2025 from 64.5 lakh in 2023. The trend is likely to continue this year as domestic and foreign carriers increase flights and add new routes.

The rise in international passenger numbers is attributed to more Bangladeshis travelling abroad for work, higher disposable incomes and growing demand for religious pilgrimages, overseas medical treatment, tourism and other purposes.

Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in Dhaka has handled the lion’s share of these travellers.

Yet airport infrastructure, particularly at HSIA or Dhaka airport, the country’s main international gateway, has failed to keep pace with rising demand.

Besides, national flag carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines has also been slow to expand its fleet, leaving foreign airlines well placed to capture a larger share of the growing market.

The mismatch between demand and capacity is creating two problems -- congestion and poor services for passengers at airports, and lost opportunities for domestic airlines.

In the January-June period of this year, airlines carried 79 lakh international passengers to and from Bangladesh, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB).

“We have seen good movement of travellers so far this year,” said Kamrul Islam, general manager of public relations at US-Bangla Airlines Ltd, the country’s largest private carrier.

Bangladesh’s airports, particularly Dhaka airport, handled around 85.95 lakh passengers in 2019. The number fell to 25.40 lakh in 2020 as countries imposed travel restrictions to contain the spread of Covid-19.

Passenger traffic recovered as restrictions eased and airlines restored services in subsequent years.

“Removal of Covid restrictions fuelled passenger flow while airlines opened new routes and increased flight frequencies,” said Kamrul.

Besides four domestic airlines, 34 foreign carriers operate passenger flights from Bangladesh to 25 destinations in 17 countries, according to CAAB.

The Middle East, which employs around three-fourths of Bangladeshi migrant workers, is the largest international market, followed by Asia-Pacific and Europe, according to a report published by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in February 2025.

Based on 2023 data, the IATA identified Jeddah, Kuala Lumpur and Riyadh as the busiest international routes from Bangladesh, followed by Dubai, Muscat, Doha, Dammam, Kolkata, Sharjah and London.

Bangladesh’s aviation sector directly employed nearly 30,000 people and generated $2.4 billion in economic output, equivalent to 0.6 percent of GDP, based on 2023 data.

Aviation and aviation-supported tourism contributed another measure of economic activity, generating $5.3 billion, or 1.2 percent of GDP.

Captain AKM Aminul Islam, director of flight operations at Biman Bangladesh Airlines, attributed the increase in international passenger traffic to overseas employment, higher incomes, more affordable air travel and rising demand for Umrah.

“Passenger traffic has grown significantly since the Covid-19 pandemic. More Bangladeshis are working abroad, people’s living standards have improved, and air travel is no longer as expensive as it used to be,” said Captain Aminul.

CAAB Member (Air Traffic) Air Commodore Md Noor-e-Alam said the increase in international passenger traffic is broadly in line with regional growth.

“It is difficult to pinpoint any specific reason for the sudden increase,” he said. “Passenger traffic has been growing across the region, and Bangladesh is witnessing a proportionate rise.”

FOREIGN AIRLINES ENJOYING MOST OF THE GROWTH

Captain Aminul said foreign airlines are benefiting significantly from rising international travel demand, partly because Biman and other domestic carriers have limited fleets.

Strong demand for flights to Jeddah and Madinah often leaves some passengers unable to secure direct-flight tickets, prompting them to use alternative connections offered by airlines such as Flynas and Jazeera Airways, he said.

“The demand has grown so much that passengers are looking for alternative connections to reach their destinations,” Captain Aminul said.

He added that delays in expanding Biman’s fleet could allow foreign airlines to secure a larger share of the market.

“By the time we add more aircraft, it could take another five years. By then, other airlines may have already captured the market,” he said.

Industry operators identified Saudi Arabian Airlines and Emirates as two major foreign carriers operating a significant number of flights to and from Bangladesh.

Biman has 19 aircraft, mainly Boeing jets and Dash 8 turboprops, and plans to add 35 more -- 25 from US aircraft manufacturer Boeing and 10 from European manufacturer Airbus. Boeing is scheduled to begin deliveries between 2031 and 2035, while Airbus deliveries are due to start in 2033.

The government has requested earlier deliveries to support Biman, which serves slightly more than 20 percent of the country’s air passengers, Reuters reported earlier, quoting Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat.

ARE THE AIRPORTS ADEQUATE?

Bangladesh has eight airports, three of which -- Dhaka airport, Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram and Osmani International Airport in Sylhet -- handle international arrivals and departures.

Dhaka airport handles the bulk of international passenger traffic, but its annual capacity of 80 lakh falls short of the numbers now passing through the airport.

In January-June this year, Dhaka airport handled 92 percent of the 79 lakh international passengers recorded nationwide, according to CAAB.

“We see various kinds of mishandling of passengers because of overload. Complaints of trolley shortages are frequent, while travellers have to wait to get their luggage,” he said. “We cannot give travellers a good experience until we improve overall facilities and services.”

Dhaka airport also has only one runway, adding to concerns about the capacity of the country’s main international gateway.

An airline official said countries worldwide planned airport infrastructure with the next 50 years in mind.

“We did not adequately prepare for this growth. As a result, a large number of passengers are now being accommodated within a limited space, making the problem more visible,” he said.

CAAB Member Air Commodore Noor-e-Alam said the third terminal at Dhaka airport has been designed to accommodate more than 1.20 crore passengers, with capacity potentially increasing to 2.4 crore.

“We have made our preparations keeping this growth in mind,” he said, adding that passenger numbers are already putting pressure on the existing terminal and causing overcrowding.

Last month, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashiduzzaman Millat said the third terminal was expected to partially open on December 16 this year, with around 20 flights initially operating from the facility.

The government built the terminal at a cost of Tk 21,300 crore, mostly financed by loans from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

A soft inauguration of the terminal was conducted in early October 2023, nearly four years after construction began. Full operations were originally scheduled for 2024.