Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Afroza Khanam, MP, and State Minister M. Rashiduzzaman Millat, MP, held a meeting with Mr. Shejdon Hee, Regional Vice President of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), at the Bangladesh Secretariat on Sunday afternoon.

During the courtesy meeting, the IATA regional vice president assured full support for the development of Bangladesh’s civil aviation sector in line with the current government’s election manifesto.

He also expressed IATA’s interest in providing technical assistance to transform the Bangladesh Airlines Technical Center (BATC), operated under Biman Bangladesh Airlines, into a modern, internationally recognized aviation maintenance facility.

Minister Afroza Khanam said the government has already taken effective measures to curb the ticket syndicate in the aviation sector.

“IATA’s technical assistance will be important in this regard. The current government follows a zero-tolerance policy against all forms of syndicates in the aviation sector,” she said.

State Minister M. Rashiduzzaman Millat said a separate provision on reducing carbon emissions has been incorporated into the Civil Aviation Ordinance as part of the government’s environmental protection efforts.

He added that the government is working to ensure the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and will take the necessary steps to adopt the Montreal Protocol 2014 to strengthen efforts against crimes committed in civil aviation.

The meeting also featured detailed discussions on the development of Bangladesh’s tourism sector, expansion of international air connectivity, enhancement of aviation sector capacity, and future areas of cooperation between the government and IATA.