Hazrat Shajalal International Airport

HAZRAT SHAJALAL INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport is the largest and most prominent international airport in Bangladesh. It is located in Kurmitola 11 miles (17 kilometres) in the northern part of the capital city Dhaka and it is also a part of BAF Bangabandhu Base used by the Bangladesh Air Force. The airport has an area of 1,981 acres (802 ha). The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) operates and maintains the airport. It started operations in 1980, taking over from Tejgaon Airport as the principal international airport of the country and was formerly known as Dacca International Airport and later as Zia International Airport, before being named in honour of Shah Jalal, who is one of the most respected Sufi saints of Bangladesh. The IATA code of the airport "DAC" is derived from "Dacca", which is the previously used spelling for "Dhaka".