Staff Reporter :
The third terminal at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka is set to be completed by October 2024, with flight operations expected to begin in early 2025, according to officials from the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB).
The construction is in its final stages, with the CAAB planning to take over the terminal from the contractor in October. Following this, the scheduling of flights from the new terminal will begin early next year.
After the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, 2024, there were concerns about potential delays in the terminal’s completion.
However, the interim government quickly restored normalcy to the construction process.
Air Vice Marshal Md Monjur Kabir Bhuiyan, chairman of CAAB, inspected the progress and confirmed that about 98 percent of the work has already been completed.
He directed all involved to ensure that the remaining tasks are finished promptly.
Once operational, the third terminal will significantly boost the airport’s capacity, handling an additional 12 million passengers annually.
The terminal will add 230,000 square meters of space and will feature 115 check-in counters, 66 departure and 59 arrival immigration desks, 12 boarding bridges, and much more.
The construction project began on December 28, 2019, with an estimated cost of Tk 21,398 crore.
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is providing Tk 16,141 crore as a loan, with the remainder funded by the Bangladesh government.
The terminal is being built by Japan’s Mitsubishi and Fujita, and South Korea’s Samsung.
Initially, the terminal will operate with 12 out of 26 boarding bridges and will include 15 self-service check-in counters and 10 automated passport control counters.
It will be connected to the elevated expressway and airport railway station via a tunnel, with a dedicated tunnel for Hajj pilgrims from the Ashkona Hajj Camp.