PM Hasina opens third terminal of Shahjalal Airport
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the third terminal of the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in Dhaka on Saturday.
She opened the terminal a little after 12:00pm.
The prime minister arrived in the event spot a little after 10:00pm where a group of children received her with cultural performance.
She then visited several areas of the terminal. Officials also showed her how passengers will avail various services. Airport workers also handed over a token boarding pass to Sheikh Hasina. After that, she went to the immigration and passed various steps of airport security.
State minister for civil aviation and tourism Md Mahbub Ali and officials concerned accompanied the prime minister.
Authorities concerned said the new terminal will be equipped with world class facilities and passenger service. Prime minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the construction of the terminal on 30 December 2019. According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB), almost 90 per cent of the work on the terminal is complete. It will be possible for the terminal to go into full operation by the end of next year.
The construction cost of the terminal is Tk 213.99 billion. Of this, the Bangladesh government will bear Tk 50 billion and the rest will be provided by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The terminal has been designed by globally celebrated architect Rohani Baharin, who also designed the Changi International Airport in Singapore, the busiest airport in the world.
The other two terminals of the country’s main airport serve around 30,000 to 35,000 passengers a day. As such, the airport serves nearly 8 million passengers annually.
According to the CAAB, It will be possible to serve an additional 12 million passengers every year once the third terminal goes into operation.
The world class terminal includes a multi-storeyed car parking with a capacity of 1,044 cars. As many as 37 aeroplanes can be parked at once in this terminal. Besides, some 16 luggage belts will be set up in the third terminal in addition to four separate belts for overweight baggage. A corridor will connect the new terminal with the two old terminals.
It takes a long time in the city to reach the airport. However, the authorities say, there will be no such sufferings to reach the new terminal. Several infrastructures have been built up to avoid traffic congestion. At the same time, the works on metro rail and elevated expressway are near finishing. All these routes will be connected to the third terminal.
The authorities say although it will take some time to go fully operational, several facilities will be available from the beginning. For instance, the 37-aircraft-parking facility will be available from the first day. Work on the export-import cargo terminal is also in its final stage. It is likely to go into operation by next March or April.