Advisers Council Approves Drafts of Aviation and Travel Laws
The Council of Advisers today approved the drafts of the Civil Aviation (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025 and the Bangladesh Travel Agency (Registration and Control) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025, aiming to ensure transparency, accountability, and good governance in the aviation and travel sectors. “As over 80 percent of passengers in Bangladesh’s air transport sector are migrant workers, the two ordinances aim to ensure transparency, good governance, and accountability in the country’s aviation and travel agency sectors,” Civil Aviation and Tourism Adviser Sk Bashir told a press briefing at the Secretariat this afternoon.
He said implementation of the two ordinances would establish discipline, financial transparency, and accountability in the aviation and travel businesses while ensuring fair ticket pricing, protecting the rights of migrant workers and passengers, and promoting international standards in the tourism sector. “These reforms will safeguard the legitimate rights of migrant workers while making passenger services more modern, safe, and people-friendly,” the adviser said. The Civil Aviation (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025 introduces several time-befitting reforms to the existing 2017 Act.
For the first time, the phrase “ensuring passenger service” has been incorporated into the title and preamble of the law, creating a legal obligation to uphold passenger safety, comfort, and rights as part of good governance. Appointment of General Sales Agents (GSAs) for foreign air operators has been made optional, aligning with international best practices. Domestic air operators are also permitted to appoint GSAs. To ensure fairness and transparency in ticket distribution, registration of Global Distribution Systems (GDS), New Distribution Capability (NDC), and API-based digital distribution channels has been made mandatory to prevent ticket blocking, artificial scarcity, and price manipulation.
For the first time, provisions have been included for the submission and monitoring of air operator tariffs. In line with global environmental and sustainability policies, the ordinance empowers authorities to take measures to reduce carbon footprints, use Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), and adopt eco-friendly operational policies. It also authorizes the government to form a “Civil Aviation Economic Commission,” which will determine airport fees, charges, royalties, premiums, and rents to ensure economic transparency and fair pricing.
The ordinance encourages the use of artificial intelligence, blockchain, and digital systems in cyber security and frontier technologies, making the civil aviation sector smarter and more technology-driven. The ordinance is consistent with the Chicago Convention, ICAO annexes, and global good governance principles, expected to enhance Bangladesh’s competitiveness in the international aviation arena. Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Travel Agency (Registration and Control) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025 has been framed to prevent illegal financial transactions, money laundering, ticket hoarding, fraud, and revenue evasion in the travel trade, particularly to protect migrant workers.
Addressing shortcomings in the existing law, the new ordinance adds 11 new grounds for cancellation or suspension of registration certificates. Offences such as illegal ticket sales, overpricing, unauthorized transactions, creating artificial crises, third-country ticket trading, and changing passenger information after group booking confirmation have been made punishable crimes. To curb fraud and harassment of passengers and migrant workers, strict penalties have been introduced, including a maximum fine of Tk 10 lakh and imprisonment for up to one year, depending on the gravity of the offence.
The government has also been empowered to temporarily suspend the registration of a travel agency upon verified evidence, while the regulatory authority may impose temporary travel bans on individuals involved in fraud or financial embezzlement. “These new laws will help establish good governance, transparency, and accountability in the aviation and travel sectors while protecting passenger rights and promoting international compliance,” Adviser Bashir added. Civil Aviation and Tourism Secretary Nasrin Jahan also spoke at the briefing.
