Staff Reporter:
Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M. Rashiduzzaman Millat yesterday called for investment- and passenger-friendly aviation policy regulations as Bangladesh moves to overhaul its four-decade-old regulatory framework and position the country as a regional aviation hub.
“After 42 years, we have gathered yesterday to revise the Civil Aviation Regulation, 1984 and for-mulate the new Civil Aviation Regulations, 2026,” he said.
Millat was chairing a meeting at the Secretariat yesterday to finalize the draft Civil Aviation Regu-lations, 2026, attended by senior government officials and representatives of public and private airlines.
The minister said the government is taking various measures to attract greater investment to the civil aviation sector, making it imperative that the new regulatory framework is conducive to busi-ness and investment.
“Our new rules must therefore be business- and investment-friendly,” he said, adding that neces-sary provisions would also be incorporated to improve passenger services and ensure aviation safe-ty and security.
Describing airlines as key stakeholders, Millat urged their active participation in framing the rules, particularly in identifying regulatory changes needed to facilitate investment.
He said the government would consider revising provisions governing aircraft maintenance facili-ties to address the needs of private airlines, alongside measures to remove complexities in the maintenance, repair and overhaul of sophisticated aircraft components.
The proposed rules would also seek to incorporate provisions on Irrevocable Deregistration and Export Request Authorization (IDERA), in line with the Cape Town Convention, to safeguard rights associated with international financing and leasing of aircraft assets.
Millat said Bangladesh also plans to establish an international-standard Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility to provide aircraft maintenance services for both domestic and foreign air-lines.
During the meeting, US-Bangla Airlines Managing Director Md Abdullah Al Mamun placed a num-ber of proposals on behalf of private airlines, while participants held detailed discussions on provi-sions proposed for inclusion in the new rules.
Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry Secretary Fahmida Akhtar, Civil Aviation Authority of Bangla-desh (CAAB) Chairman Air Vice Marshal Mostafa Mahmood Siddiq, Biman Bangladesh Airlines Managing Director Kaiser Sohel Ahmed, Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation Chairman Md Samimuz-zaman and representatives of other government and private-sector stakeholders attended the meeting.
