Aviators are counting the hours as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will make a soft opening of Terminal 3 of the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport today, aiming to make Bangladesh an aviation hub with the slogan "Connecting dreams to reality".

"We can say the third terminal is the first milestone to realise 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.

He said the prime minister 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% 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 terminal will be fully operational for passengers' use at the end of next year after the 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 Terminal 3's features with its immaculate floor and eye-catching patterns on the ceiling with enough natural light are very sophisticated.

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

The 12 boarding gates with double entry bridges of Terminal 3 will be operational by next year while the additional 14 boarding bridges are expected to be installed afterwards.

The terminal project, costing Tk21,300 crore, commenced on 28 December 2019. The government contributed Tk5,000 crore, while the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) provided the remaining funding.

Covering an area of 542,000 square metres, Terminal 3 will boast a floor space of 230,000 square metres, housing 115 check-in counters, 66 departure immigration desks, 59 arrival immigration and three VIP immigration desks.

Upon full-fledged operation of the Terminal 3, Dhaka airport's annual passenger and cargo handling capacity is expected to double.

The annual passenger handling capacity of the airport would be 24 million, including the old terminals, which is now only 8 million and the airport can handle 500,000 tonnes of cargo each year.

The construction work of 37 new aircraft parking areas and two taxiways connecting to the apron area has already been completed.

The new terminal is designed to connect with a multimodal transport system to enable passengers to enter and exit the international airport smoothly.

It will be connected with the elevated expressway, underground railway – MRT-5, Kamalapur to the airport portion – and also with the airport railway station through an underground tunnel.

Besides, hajj pilgrims will be able to access the terminal from Ashkona hajj camp through an underground tunnel.

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

Ahead of Terminal 3's full operation, different foreign airlines are eyeing to start their operation from Dhaka Airport, which is expected to play a great role in taking the country's aviation sector forward, experts said.