Shahjalal International Airport 7.14

Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, formerly Zia International Airport, is the largest airport in Bangladesh. Operated and maintained by the Civil Aviation Authority, Bangladesh, it is also used by the Bangladesh Air Force as a part of BAF Bangabandhu Base. Located in Kurmitola in northern Dhaka, it started operations in 1980, taking over as the country's capital international airport from Tejgaon Airport. The airport is the hub of most of the private airlines in Bangladesh, including Biman Bangladesh Airlines, United Airways, Regent Airways, Novoair and US-Bangla Airlines. The airport's IATA code – "DAC" is derived from "Dacca", the previously used spelling for "Dhaka".The airport has an area of. The airport has a capacity of handling 18.5 million passengers annually, and is predicted by the CAAB to be enough until 2026. In 2014, it handled 8.1 million passengers, and 248,000 tonnes of cargo. Average aircraft movement per day is around 190 flights.National flag carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines is the ground handling provider of the airport.