Barishal Airport

The airport is located close to Barisal city in the Rahamatpur area of Babuganj Upazila.^[3]

Before it was re-constructed, there was a huge demand for an airport in the region for quicker travel to the capital, Dhaka.^[3] Local organisations held many strikes and demonstrations to press for its construction.^[3] The airport was finally built in 1985 on 163 acres of land, at a cost of BDT 4 million.^[3] It was officially inaugurated by the then president Abdur Rahman Biswas on 3 December 1995.^[3] Aero Bengal Airlines, a private airline, was the first airline to launch flights to the airport.^[3] The national carrier, Biman, started their services in November 1995.^[3]

In 2007, the airport played a significant role during the relief operation in the aftermath of Cyclone Sidr in November 2007, virtually saving thousands of lives of the cyclone-affected people. The airport was instrumental in international relief goods, including drinking water, rice, blankets, and other life-saving materials, reaching the devastated victims of the cyclone.^[3][4][5]

In April 2015, the national carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines resumed weekly flights after nine years.^[6]

The airport has served 158,987 passengers between 1995 and 2009. Over 20,000 flights, including passenger, training, cargo, and others, had operated from the airport.^[3] The airport saw its highest number of passengers in 1999 and the highest number of flights in the year 2000.^[3]

• List of airports in Bangladesh