Sylhet’s Grounded Dreams: When a Region’s Wings Are Clipped by Neglect

Sylhet, Bangladesh’s northeastern jewel — a land of rolling tea estates, misty hills, and sprawling wetlands — has long been seen as a region of immense potential. It fuels the national economy through its tea industry, tourism, and the tireless remittances of its vast diaspora spread across Europe, North America, and the Middle East.

Yet, despite its promise, Sylhet remains painfully disconnected. What should be a five-hour journey to Dhaka now takes as long as 16 to 18 hours by road. Rail tickets are so scarce they’re called “golden tickets,” and airfare on the Dhaka–Sylhet route can soar to an astonishing 12,000 taka — a luxury few can afford.

The tragedy of Sylhet is not in its lack of resources, but in the way infrastructure, policy, and political will have consistently failed it.

The MAG Osmani International Airport, established in 1944 and elevated to international status in 2002, stands as both a symbol of Sylhet’s pride and its frustration. It connects the city directly with London, Manchester, and select Middle Eastern destinations — the arteries of its global diaspora.

But domestically, the service is woefully inadequate. Flights are limited, tickets overpriced, and delays routine. Many travelers who turn to air travel to escape gridlocked highways find themselves stranded by ticket shortages instead.

A modernization project worth 23 billion taka was approved in 2018 to expand the airport’s capacity. Five years later, progress has crawled to just 22 percent. Costs have ballooned to 27.8 billion, and the deadline has been pushed back yet again — now to December 2027.

This pattern of delay is not merely bureaucratic; it’s emblematic of how state neglect stifles a region’s aspirations. When projects linger indefinitely, it’s not just concrete that remains unfinished — it’s trust, hope, and opportunity.

In nearby Moulvibazar lies Shamshernagar Airport, once among the largest airfields in Southeast Asia. Built in 1942 by the British for military use, it was a hub of strategic importance. Today, its 6,000-foot runway lies silent, its vast 622 acres partly leased for farming.

After a brief attempt to revive it in the 1990s, and a series of political promises since, the airport remains dormant. Even though the Civil Aviation Authority recently listed it among seven airfields slated for revival, there is still no clear roadmap or funding.

For a district teeming with expatriates and tourism potential, this neglect borders on absurd. Shamshernagar could have been a lifeline — easing pressure on Sylhet’s main airport, driving investment, and connecting the hills and haors to the rest of Bangladesh. Instead, it stands as a quiet testament to how potential dies in silence.

Sylhet’s predicament mirrors a deeper national pattern — the gap between vision and execution. Grand projects are announced with ceremony, but progress often dissolves into inertia. Bureaucratic tangles, political reshuffles, and short-term priorities have robbed the region of the infrastructure it desperately needs.

For a place that contributes so much — from remittances to national revenue — Sylhet deserves more than promises. Its people are not asking for charity; they are demanding connectivity, dignity, and fairness.

Reviving both Osmani and Shamshernagar airports could transform the region into a regional aviation hub, linking Bangladesh more deeply with South and Southeast Asia. It would unlock trade, tourism, and direct foreign investment — all without requiring any new miracles, only political will.

The irony is painful: an airspace filled with dreams, but a ground reality mired in neglect.

To unleash Sylhet’s true potential, the government must act not out of pity but out of recognition — that this region is not a periphery but a pillar of the nation’s economy and identity.

Until then, Sylhet’s skies will remain quiet, its people stranded between promise and abandonment. The question is no longer whether the planes will fly — but whether the nation has the courage to let Sylhet’s wings finally take flight.