A pleasant surprise at Dhaka airport

For passengers with past experience of the Dhaka airport, the prospect of flying into Bangladesh's capital has not been a pleasant one, chiefly because of the seemingly interminable delays in getting their checked-in baggage.

But things appear to have changed as passengers are now getting their luggage very soon after landing at the Hazrat Shahalal International Airport.

"It's a dramatic change at the airport. Earlier, we had to wait for a long time to get luggage and also for completion of immigration formalities. But at present the scenario has changed. I have got my luggage immediately after reaching the luggage belt," said Md Kamal Hossain, who came from New York by a Qatar Airlines flight recently.

Different groups in Facebook lauded the recent positive change at the Dhaka airport over the past two weeks or so.

Abul Kasem, who recently came from Singapore, said the behaviour of immigration and other officials had changed. He also said he got his luggage within 20 minutes of landing.

Group Captain Kamrul Islam, executive director of HSIA, told The Daily Star, "We are trying our best to ensure passengers get their luggage smoothly."

He said with the constant coordination of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, which is providing ground handling facilities at the HSIA, the airport staffers are working throughout the day to improve the quality of baggage handling facilities.

"Passengers are getting 80 to 85 percent of their luggage within the stipulated time and for the rest of the luggage we are in a constant process to improve. It's a continuing process."

He said the first piece of luggage is now available at the belt within 18 minutes of the aircraft touching the boarding bridge and shutting down its engines and the last item is available within 60 minutes.

"We are trying our best so that passengers get the luggage and complete immigration formalities in the shortest possible time," he added.