PM opens Dhaka airport’s 3rd terminal

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has inaugurated the iconic third terminal of the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) with slogan of ‘connecting dreams to reality’ towards making Bangladesh as an aviation hub.

She partially opened the new scenic terminal by unveiling a plaque at the HSIA on Saturday (October 7) morning.

Through the inauguration of the third terminal of the HSIA, a revolutionary change has been made to the country’s aviation sector aiming in providing world class passenger services and security.

Prior to the opening, the premier went round the terminal 3 and visited different parts of the terminal including boarding pass, immigrations.

State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Mahbub Ali, Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, Masahiro Komura, Civil Aviation and Tourism Secretary Mokammel Hossain and Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) Chairman Air Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman spoke at the function as Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan Saito Tetsuo was present.

The opening of the facility at HSIA is a milestone initiative to turn Bangladesh into a global aviation hub which helps flourish country’s tourism and thus immensely contribute to the national economy.

Ninety percent work of the new terminal has been completed.

The third terminal will be fully operational for passengers use at the end of next year after completion of systems integration and calibration.

The third terminal features immaculate floor and eye-catching patterns on ceiling with very sophisticated enough natural light.

The 12 boarding gates with double entry bridges of the third terminal will be operational by next year while the additional 14 boarding bridges are expected to be installed afterwards.

The third terminal project, costing Tk 21,300 crore, commenced on December 28, 2019. The government contributed Tk 5,000 crore, while the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) provided the remaining funding.

Covering an area of 542,000 square metres, the third terminal will have a floor space of 230,000 square metres with housing 115 check-in counters, 66 departure immigration desks, 59 arrival immigration and 3 VIP immigration desks.

Upon full-fledged operation of the 3rd terminal, Dhaka Airport’s annual passenger and cargo handling capacity is expected to double.

The annual passenger handling capacity of the HSIA would be 24 million (including the old terminals) which is now only eight million and the airport can handle 500,000 tonnes of cargo each year.

The construction work of 37 new aircraft parking area and two taxiways connecting to the apron area have already been completed.

The third terminal is designed to connect with a multimodal transport system to enable passengers to enter and exit the international airport smoothly.

The new terminal will be connected to the elevated expressway, underground railway (MRT-5, Kamalapur to airport portion) and also with the airport railway station through an underground tunnel.

The third terminal is expected to operate and be maintained by a Japanese company under public private partnership.