We recommend at least 1 hour 15 min for a comfortable connection at Zia International. The minimum connection time is 45 minutes for domestic flights and 90 minutes for international flights. Transit between terminals takes up to 30 minutes.

Domestic-to-Domestic: 45 min. Domestic-to-International: 60 min. International-to-Domestic: 60 min. International-to-International: 90 min. These are the shortest layovers airlines will sell at Zia International.

Connecting through Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (formerly Zia International) in Dhaka is one of the more challenging transfers in South Asia, largely because domestic, legacy international, and the new Terminal 3 operations are not fully unified airside. Passengers often must deplane, clear immigration or security again, and physically move between terminal buildings by bus, adding uncertainty to tight connections. There is no automated people mover; transfers between terminal buildings rely on shuttle buses or a longer walk along the apron/curbside, especially for passengers moving between the older Terminal 2 and the newer Terminal 3. Security re-screening is required for anyone changing terminals, and international arrivals connecting to another international flight often still pass through immigration formalities before being redirected to transfer desks.

Still under minimum connecting times; the shuttle bus transfer alone can consume most of this window. See full 30 min guide →

Matches the bare domestic-domestic MCT but leaves no buffer if buses or immigration lines are slow. See full 45 min guide →

Meets the domestic-international and international-domestic MCT exactly, so success depends on smooth immigration flow. See full 1 hr guide →

Comfortably clears domestic MCTs and gives reasonable margin for one terminal transfer with re-screening. See full 1¼ hr guide →

Matches the international-international MCT and should suffice under normal operating conditions. See full 1½ hr guide →

A safe window for any transfer combination, including cross-terminal international connections. See full 2 hr guide →

Ample time to handle bus transfers, re-screening, and peak-hour congestion without stress. See full 2½ hr guide →

Very comfortable, allowing for slow immigration lines or last-minute terminal changes. See full 3 hr guide →

Excess buffer well beyond any realistic delay scenario at DAC. See full 4 hr guide →