Dhaka turning into a regional aviation hub

Staff Correspondent: The third terminal of Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport will be partially opened on October 7 this year, and it is set to be fully operational next year, Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) Chairman Air Vice Marshal Muhammad Mafidur Rahman told.
The construction of the terminal is currently in its final stage and over 85 percent work has been completed, he said.
Once fully operational, the new Dhaka airport terminal, covering an area of 5,42,000 square metres, will be capable of serving more than one crore passengers annually, the CAAB chairman added. State of the art amenities will also be offered to passengers.
“As construction is in its final stage, the magnificent architecture of the third terminal building is now visible. Currently, work on interior decoration and installation of various types of equipment is going on,” the CAAB chief informed.
20 million passengers to use Dhaka airport
The CAAB chairman said that currently 120-130 planes of over 30 airlines take off from and land at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport’s Terminal 1 and Terminal 2.
“Every day about 20,000 passengers use the two terminals of the airport. As such, Dhaka airport serves around 80 lakh (8 million) passengers annually. It will be possible to serve an additional 1.2 crore passengers when the third terminal is opened,” he said.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority, the new terminal will feature a parking apron capable of accommodating 37 aircraft. It will also have 26 boarding bridges. Among them, 12 boarding bridges will be opened this October.
Smart faster service
For arrivals, there will be a total of 59 counters including five automated ones to provide fast and better service to passengers. In addition, 16 baggage belts will be installed in the third terminal while there will be four separate belts for overweight baggage.
For departure, the terminal will have 115 check-in counters, including 15 self-service ones, and 66 departure immigration counters with 10 automatic passport control counters.
Multi-storeyed car parking with a capacity of accommodating 1,044 cars is also being constructed in the world class terminal, CAAB sources said.
Ground handling will conduct by Japan
Regarding ground handling – one of biggest pain points at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport – the CAAB chairman said that the government has decided to give the task to Japan, known for their efficiency.
The ground handling and maintenance of the new terminal will be carried out through the public-private partnership (PPP) model, he said.
State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Md Mahbub Ali toldthat the third terminal boasts an exceptional, artistic design.
Besides, work of import-export cargo complex – spanning an area of 63,000 square feet – is also going on, the junior minister said.
On December 28, 2019, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the construction work of the Tk 21,398 crore project aimed at boosting Dhaka airport’s passenger and cargo handling capacity.
Of the total cost, the government will provide Tk 5,257 crore and the rest will be funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The construction of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport’s third terminal in Dhaka is being done by Japan’s Mitsubishi, Fujita and South Korea’s Samsung.