Bypass traditional air transport routes via India or Bangladeshclothing exporters found the Maldives to be a cheaper and faster route.

Exporters said air freight via the Indian Ocean island nation, about 2,800 km from Dhaka, had saved them nearly a dollar per kilogram in shipping costs to European countries.

They said traditional air transport routes via Dhaka, Calcutta, Colombo or Singapore had become either too expensive or too slow.
The ready-to-wear industry was facing a huge delay following student protests in July and August, when everything came to a halt.

Shipping rates through Dhaka jumped to between $6.30 and $6.50 per kg, and have now fallen to between $3.80 and $4.10 per kg for shipping to Europe.
It was then that Bangladeshi exporters discovered the new route through the Maldives.

Kabir Ahmed, president of the Bangladesh Freight Forwarders Association (BAFFA), said the Maldives airport route emerged almost organically as the cost of shipping was too high via other routes. There was a sudden increase in shipping demand as factories resumed production after order was restored. when the interim government took over.

Demand for dry cargo has almost doubled to 800-900 tonnes at Dhaka airport from the usual 400-450 tonnes per day.
Exporters could also not ship goods by sea using Chattogram as the student movement in July and August had disrupted operations at the port as well as much of the country. The resulting delay also had to be quickly cleared once operations resumed, as exporters were desperate to meet their looming deadlines, many of which had presumably been extended given the political situation.

Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka is costly for exporters due to its high operational costs, taxes and operational risks.

Dhaka Airport also suffers from a lack of necessary equipment like scanners and explosive detection systems (EDS). Additionally, there are not enough airlines connecting Dhaka to transport goods by air.

In contrast, local exporters claim that shipping via the Maldives is faster and costs only $3-3.50 per kg.