Major Airports in Bangladesh

Key Takeaways

One dominant hub, then a steep drop. Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International handles the overwhelming majority of Bangladesh's flights, reaching around 41 regularly-served nonstop destinations — far more than any other airport in the country.
Three international gateways. Dhaka (DAC), Sylhet (ZYL) and Chittagong (CGP) are the only airports with scheduled international flights. The rest are domestic feeders linked mainly to the capital.
Sylhet's special link to Britain. Thanks to a huge British-Bangladeshi community with roots in the Sylhet region, Osmany International runs direct flights to London and Manchester — unusual for a regional airport.
No nonstop flights to the United States. Bangladesh has no direct passenger service to the US. Travellers connect through the Gulf hubs — Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi — or through Istanbul and other Asian and European gateways.
Cox's Bazar serves the world's longest beach. The busiest domestic-only airport, Cox's Bazar is the gateway to Bangladesh's most famous seaside resort and is being upgraded with a runway extended out over the Bay of Bengal.

Bangladesh is one of the world’s most densely populated countries, and almost all of its air traffic funnels through a single airport: Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International. Beyond the capital, a handful of regional airports connect the major cities, while just two others — Sylhet and Chittagong — handle scheduled international flights of their own.

Below we map and rank Bangladesh’s airports by the number of nonstop destinations each one serves, drawn from live route data on AirportRoutes. Because the figures come from observed flight data — a large sample rather than a complete published timetable — we treat them as a strong guide to relative connectivity rather than exact, official totals.

Map of major airports in Bangladesh ranked by number of regularly-served nonstop destinations, led by Dhaka with Sylhet, Chittagong and Cox's Bazar — Bangladesh's major airports, ranked by regularly-served nonstop destinations. Map: Mappr · Data: AirportRoutes

Does Bangladesh have direct flights to the US — and where do international flights go?

The short answer on the United States: no. Bangladesh has no nonstop passenger flights to the US. Travellers heading to America typically connect through the big Gulf hubs — Doha (Qatar Airways), Dubai (Emirates and flydubai), Abu Dhabi (Etihad) — or through Istanbul (Turkish Airlines) and other Asian and European gateways.

International flying is concentrated at three airports. Dhaka (DAC) is the country’s main gateway and the home base of flag carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines, with long-haul links to London, Manchester and Toronto and a dense web of Gulf, South Asian and Southeast Asian routes. Sylhet (ZYL) and Chittagong (CGP) add their own international service — Sylhet to the UK and the Gulf, Chittagong overwhelmingly to the Middle East, reflecting the large Bangladeshi workforce there. Every other airport in the country is domestic, feeding traffic into Dhaka.

Ranked

Major Airports in Bangladesh by Nonstop Destinations

Ranked by regularly-served nonstop destinations, busiest first.

Airport	IATA	Nonstop	City
1. Hazrat Shahjalal Intl	DAC	41+	Dhaka
2. Osmany Intl	ZYL	8+	Sylhet
3. Shah Amanat Intl	CGP	8+	Chittagong
4. Cox's Bazar	CXB	2+	Cox's Bazar
5. Jessore (Jashore)	JSR	1+	Jashore
6. Shah Makhdum	RJH	1+	Rajshahi
7. Saidpur	SPD	1+	Saidpur
8. Barisal (Barishal)	BZL	Domestic	Barishal

A closer look at Bangladesh’s biggest airports

🛫 Dhaka (DAC)

Map showing the location of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (DAC) near Dhaka, Bangladesh — Where to find Dhaka (DAC) — central Bangladesh. Map: Google

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Hazrat Shahjalal International is by far Bangladesh’s busiest airport and the home base of flag carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines and the country’s largest private carrier, US-Bangla Airlines. A new third terminal — built by a Japanese-led consortium and roughly tripling the airport’s capacity — has been opening in phases to relieve years of chronic congestion in the capital.

Serving Dhaka, DAC reaches about 41 regularly-served nonstop destinations, including a handful of intercontinental routes to the UK and Canada. Top destinations include Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, Sylhet, Sharjah and Dubai — a mix of busy domestic shuttles and heavy traffic to the Gulf.

Main airlines: Biman Bangladesh Airlines, US-Bangla Airlines, Novoair, IndiGo. See the full route map for DAC on AirportRoutes →

🇬🇧 Sylhet (ZYL)

Map showing the location of Osmany International Airport (ZYL) near Sylhet, north-eastern Bangladesh — Where to find Sylhet (ZYL) — north-eastern Bangladesh. Map: Google

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Osmany International serves Sylhet, the tea-growing city in Bangladesh’s north-east. Its standout feature is a direct link to Britain: a very large share of the British-Bangladeshi community traces its roots to the Sylhet region, and Biman Bangladesh flies nonstop from here to London and Manchester — extraordinary reach for a regional airport.

Serving Sylhet, ZYL reaches around 8 regularly-served nonstop destinations, including intercontinental flights to the UK alongside the usual Gulf routes. Top destinations include Dhaka, London, Manchester, Abu Dhabi and Jeddah.

Main airlines: Biman Bangladesh Airlines, US-Bangla Airlines, Air Astra, Novoair. See the full route map for ZYL on AirportRoutes →

🚢 Chittagong (CGP)

Map showing the location of Shah Amanat International Airport (CGP) near Chittagong, south-eastern Bangladesh — Where to find Chittagong (CGP) — south-eastern coast. Map: Google

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Shah Amanat International serves Chittagong (Chattogram), Bangladesh’s second city and its main seaport on the south-eastern coast. The airport’s network is dominated by the Gulf, reflecting the very large number of Bangladeshi workers in the Middle East who travel to and from the region’s labour markets.

Serving Chittagong, CGP reaches around 8 regularly-served nonstop destinations, almost entirely split between Dhaka and the Gulf. Top destinations include Dhaka, Sharjah, Muscat, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Main airlines: Biman Bangladesh Airlines, US-Bangla Airlines, Air Arabia, SalamAir, Air Astra. See the full route map for CGP on AirportRoutes →

🏖️ Cox’s Bazar (CXB)

Map showing the location of Cox's Bazar Airport (CXB) on the south-eastern coast of Bangladesh — Where to find Cox's Bazar (CXB) — south-eastern coast. Map: Google

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Cox’s Bazar Airport is the gateway to Bangladesh’s most famous holiday destination — home to what is often described as the world’s longest natural sea beach, an unbroken stretch of sand running for around 120 kilometres. Though currently domestic-only, the airport is being upgraded with a runway extended out over the Bay of Bengal, with the long-term aim of handling international flights.

Serving the resort town of Cox’s Bazar, CXB has a small but busy domestic network, with frequent shuttles up to the capital. Top destinations are Dhaka and Saidpur.

Main airlines: Biman Bangladesh Airlines, US-Bangla Airlines, Novoair, Air Astra. See the full route map for CXB on AirportRoutes →

Bangladesh’s other domestic airports

Beyond the four airports above, a small group of regional fields keep Bangladesh’s secondary cities connected to Dhaka, served mainly by US-Bangla Airlines, Biman, Novoair and Air Astra:

Jessore / Jashore (JSR) — one of the country’s oldest airports, the main air link for the south-western Khulna region.
Shah Makhdum, Rajshahi (RJH) — serves the silk-weaving city of Rajshahi in the north-west, near the Indian border.
Saidpur (SPD) — the busiest airport in northern Bangladesh, gateway to the Rangpur region and one of the few domestic fields with links beyond Dhaka.
Barisal / Barishal (BZL) — a small airport serving the southern river-delta city of Barishal, with intermittent service to the capital.

All four connect overwhelmingly to Dhaka, reinforcing the capital’s role as the hub through which nearly all of Bangladesh’s air travel flows.

Airport rankings, nonstop-destination counts, served cities, airline lists and intercontinental connections are drawn from live AirportRoutes route data (observed flight data — a sample, not a complete published schedule; we use the regularly-served figure, which filters infrequent observations). Airport facts are cross-checked against the cited references. The map is a Mappr original.

Primary Data Source:

AirportRoutes — Major airports & routes, Bangladesh – Live route data: per-airport nonstop destinations, served cities, airlines and intercontinental connections.

Reference: