HSIA Third Terminal soft launch on October 7

Dhaka: The under-construction Third Terminal at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the capital is expected to open partially on October 7 as the construction work of the much-anticipated terminal has reached about 81.6 per cent.

Air Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman, Chairman of Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh said this to the media journalists following a visit to the construction site on August 8.Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has also given her consent to inaugurate this priority mega project of her government, added the CAAB chairman during the media briefing.

"A soft launch of the third terminal is anticipated on October 7, marking the partial commencement of operations. However, only airlines will be able to avail of its services initially,” he claimed.

He further mentioned, “We expect 90 per cent of construction work to be completed by October 2023."

As per the initial plan, the terminal, constructed at a cost of BDT 21,300 crore since December 2019, should be open to the public by April 2024.

The terminal building is now widely visible. The works for interior decoration and the installation of various equipment are underway currently.

Air Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman also noted that they would finalise the deal on hiring a third party for ground handling with any suitable Japanese firm in the middle of 2024.

"The signing of the agreement is expected by mid-next year, following which the third party will assume the responsibility. Until then, the CAAB will continue to look after these tasks [at the third terminal]," he said.

However, he also mentioned that Biman Bangladesh Airlines would not be excluded from ground handling as there will be more than one company to operate the activities.

Upon completion of the third terminal, HSIA’s annual passenger and cargo handling capacity are expected to be doubled. It can accommodate approximately 24 million passengers (including the old terminal) and handle 500,000 tonnes of cargo each year.