Draft Civil Aviation (Amendment) Ordinance 2025: Tougher rules for travel agencies, fare manipulation

Dhaka: Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism has released the draft of the Civil Aviation (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025, introducing stricter measures to regulate airfares, travel agency practices, and market transparency in Bangladesh’s aviation sector.

According to the proposed ordinance, any travel agency found charging passengers more than the approved fare will be committing a punishable offense. In such cases, the agency will be required to compensate the passenger up to three times the amount of the excess fare collected, following procedures to be set by regulation.

The draft law also imposes severe penalties for ticket hoarding and artificial price hikes. Individuals or agencies that stockpile air tickets to create artificial scarcity or sell them at inflated prices for profit will face a minimum of two years and a maximum of five years of imprisonment, or a fine of up to BDT 5 million, or both.

Under the new provisions, all air operators must regularly submit to the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) the minimum and maximum tariff rates for all routes and classes, as determined by regulation. Once submitted, CAAB chairman will review and approve the proposed tariffs if deemed satisfactory.

The ordinance also empowers the chairman to take effective measures to set reasonable prices in the public interest if any route is found to be subject to monopolistic practices, abnormal fare increases, or artificial shortages.

Officials said the proposed amendment aims to ensure fair pricing, consumer protection, and healthy competition in the aviation market, while curbing unethical practices that harm travelers and distort the air transport sector.