The under-construction third terminal at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport is expected to open partially on 7 October as the construction works of the much-anticipated terminal have reached around 81.6%, said Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) Chairman Air Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has also given her consent to inaugurate this priority mega project of her government, the CAAB chairman told journalists following a visit to the construction site on Tuesday (8 August). 

"A soft launch of the third terminal is anticipated on 7 October, marking the partial commencement of operations. However, only airlines will be able to avail of its services initially.

"The terminal is expected to be open to passengers at the end of next year," he said.

Responding to querues regrding the progress of the project, he said, It's been going on in a planned way. We expect 90% of construction work to be completed by October this year."

As per the initial plan, the terminal, constructed at a cost of Tk21,300 crore since December 2019, should be open to the public by April 2024.

The terminal building is now widely visible. The works for interior decoration and the installation of various equipment are going on.

On hiring a third party for ground handling, Air Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman said they would finalise the deal with any suitable Japanese firm in the middle of next year.

"The signing of the agreement is expected by mid-next year, following which the third party will assume the responsibility. Until then, the CAAB will continue to look after these tasks [at the third terminal]," he said in reply to a question from reporters.

However, he explained that Biman Bangladesh Airlines would not be excluded from ground handling as there will be more than one company to operate the activities.    

Reiterating that many international airports around the world have multiple ground handlers, he said, "The Japanese firm will decide who will get the work of ground handling. If there is more than one company, then it will be airline choice from which they will take services".                                                      

Biman Bangladesh Airlines is responsible for ground handling at Dhaka and other airports. 

Upon completion of the third terminal, Dhaka airport's annual passenger and cargo handling capacity are expected to be doubled. It can accommodate approximately 24 million passengers (including old terminal) and handle 500,000 tonnes of cargo each year.