Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (DAC)

Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (DAC) does permit smoking, but only in designated areas. You cannot re-enter the secure zone once you have passed immigration, so plan your last smoke before you go through. Landside options are limited to outdoor designated zones, while airside has dedicated smoking rooms near the departure gates.

Before Security

Landside smoking is restricted to designated outdoor areas on the west side of the 3rd floor of the departure building. There are no indoor smoking rooms before security, so you will need to step outside to the designated zone before joining the check-in and immigration queues.

• 3rd floor departure area, west side: The main landside designated smoking zone, accessible before you pass through immigration.

• The airport FAQ also references a smoking area upstairs near the MBT lounge, after passport control but before the main security screening point, based on a 2025 traveler report.

After Security

Once you are airside, there are dedicated smoking rooms in the boarding bridge corridor area. The official airport website confirms two rooms:

• Opposite boarding gate 5, on the south side of the boarding bridge corridor.

• Opposite boarding gate 9, on the north side of the boarding bridge corridor.

The airport FAQ also mentions a smoking zone in front of boarding gate 10 in the boarding bridge area. A 2025 traveler update from airportsmokers.com notes a smoking room upstairs next to the MBT lounge, and another at departure level near gate 6, suggesting the exact locations may shift as the terminal evolves. An earlier 2020 report placed a single smoking room airside near gate 10 at the far end of the terminal. Given these varying accounts, it is worth checking signage once you clear immigration, as room positions may have been updated.

Vaping Rules

No specific vaping policy is published on the official airport website or in the sources reviewed. Given Bangladesh's general regulatory environment, treat vaping the same as smoking and use only the designated smoking rooms to avoid any issues.

Transit and Layovers

If you are transiting through DAC, you will be airside and can use the smoking rooms near gates 5 and 9 (and possibly gate 10). The FAQ explicitly states that you cannot exit the terminal after receiving a boarding pass, so do not plan on going landside for a smoke once you are checked in and through immigration.

Bottom Line

Smoke landside on the 3rd floor west side before immigration, or use the airside rooms near gates 5, 9, and possibly 10 after clearing passport control. Re-entry after exiting is not permitted once you have a boarding pass.