With over 90% of the exciting new terminal’s construction finished as of today, Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) is prepared for the soft opening of its third terminal on October 7.
“The terminal is ready to get partial inauguration by Honarable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on October 7,” said Chairman of Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) Air Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman at a press briefing inside the new terminal.
According to him, work on interior decoration and the installation of various equipment has nearly been completed, and the entire scenic terminal building, including the majority of the facilities, is now visible.
“We need 90 percent of work done for the soft launching and I can say, till today, 89 percent of those have been completed,” he said.
According to him, the terminal will be completely operational for passenger usage at the end of the following year, and beginning on October 7 airlines will be allowed to utilize the terminal’s new parking lot.
“The new terminal will change the country’s image with all world class amenities and passenger services,” said the CAAB chief.
Rahman said after the soft launching, the work for systems integration and calibration would be started and it is expected to complete within next eight months.
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 operational afterwards.
After full-fledged operation of the 3rd terminal, the annual passenger handling capacity of the HSIA would be 20 million which is now only eight million.
The construction work of 37 new aircraft parking area and two taxiways connecting to the apron area have already been completed.
Diverse foreign airlines are considering beginning service from Dhaka Airport before the third terminal is fully operational, which is anticipated to play a significant part in advancing the nation’s aviation sector, according to analysts.
On December 28, 2019, work on the third terminal project, which will cost Taka 21,300 crore, began. The government provided Tk 5,000 crore, with the remaining money coming from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Covering an area of 542,000 square metres, the third terminal will boast a floor space of 230,000 square metres, housing 177 check-in counters, 64 departure immigration desks, and 64 arrival immigration desks
