Soft opening of Dhaka airport's third terminal tomorrow

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will soft launch the much anticipated third terminal of the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) tomorrow with a slogan of "connecting dreams to reality" for making Bangladesh an aviation hub.

"We can say the third terminal is the first milestone to realise Honourable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's dream to make Bangladesh an aviation hub," Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (Caab) chairman Air Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman told BSS today.

He said the PM will partially open the new scenic terminal witnessing the trial of a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight from the new establishment.

The Caab chairman said 90 percent work of the new terminal has been done for the soft launching, and from Saturday airlines would be able to use the new parking bay of the terminal.

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

"The new terminal will change the country's image with all world-class amenities and passenger services," said the Caab chief.

He said the third terminal's features, with immaculate floor and eye-catching patterns on ceiling and sufficient natural light, are very sophisticated.

"Passengers will appreciate the world-class facilities of the new terminal which we never had here before," he added.

The 12 boarding gates with double entry bridges will be operational by next year while an 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 funds.

Covering an area of 5,42,000 square metres, the third terminal will boast a floor space of 2,30,000 square metres, housing 115 check-in counters, 66 departure immigration desks, 59 arrival immigration and 3 VIP immigration desks.

Upon full-fledged operation of the 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 5,00,000 tonnes of cargo each year.

The construction work of 37 new aircraft parking areas 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 with the elevated expressway, underground railway (MRT-5, Kamalapur to airport portion) and also with the airport railway station through an underground tunnel.

It is expected to be operated and maintained by a Japanese company under public-private partnership.

Ahead of the third terminal's full operation, different foreign airlines are eyeing to start their operation from Dhaka Airport, which is expected to play a great role to take the country's aviation sector forward, experts said.