Biman Bangladesh Airlines’ overdue payments to the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh have climbed to Tk5,842.91 crore, or about $474 million, with the state-owned flag carrier accounting for the bulk of more than Tk7,000 crore owed by five airlines. The debt covers landing, navigation, rental and other aviation charges linked to airports across the country, including Dhaka, Chattogram and Sylhet.
The arrears include Tk3,452 crore tied to Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, Tk1,781 crore in Chattogram and Tk603 crore in Sylhet. The total also includes Tk512 crore in value-added tax and Tk53 lakh in income tax. The accumulated balance has built up over years as unpaid aeronautical and non-aeronautical fees continued to mount.
The scale of Biman’s liabilities underscores wider financial strain across Bangladesh’s aviation sector, where the regulator is carrying large unpaid balances from carriers operating in a tight-margin market. A separate report earlier this week highlighted CAAB’s own funding pressure, with terminal-related income being used to service loans while the third terminal remained out of service.