Returnee air passengers suffer at airports
UNB, Dhaka :
Passing through the immigration, customs and the layers of security by homebound air passengers, mainly the wage earners, at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport has become a humiliating experience these days due to luggage loss and misbehaviour by a section of officials, according to some freequent travellers.
They allege that the returning Bangladesh nationals have to wait for hours together to get out of the airport with their valuables as the ground handling section, supervised by Biman Bangladesh Airlines, find it difficult to handle the rush when two or three flights land simultaneously due to its inadequate logistic support, manpower and modern equipment.
Biman has long been providing ground handling facilities to the country’s three international airports for a long time as the sole ground handler approved by the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB).
Talking to UNB, many passengers said they have to go through immense sufferings as the chaotic assembly of people caused by the poor handling of the airport authorities creates long queues at check-in desks, immigration desks and customs at the airport, which deals with 80 percent of the country’s air traffic.
According to them, the wage earners who remit around 14 billion dollars a year to boost the country’s foreign exchange do not deserve such humiliation at the airport.
“It took me about two and half hours to get out of the airport. I’d to pass most of the time at the conveyor belt to collect my luggage and other valuables. I don’t know why the authorities are not upgrading the ground handling section with modern equipment like other international airports,” Rafiqul Islam, who arrived from a European country, told UNB last week.
Despite close surveillance by members of the Airport Armed Police Battalion, Ansar members and civil aviation and Biman security personnel, the incidents of loss of purses and valuables of the passengers often take place mainly due to the carelessness of the officials concerned at the ground handling section.
Passing through the immigration, customs and the layers of security by homebound air passengers, mainly the wage earners, at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport has become a humiliating experience these days due to luggage loss and misbehaviour by a section of officials, according to some freequent travellers.
They allege that the returning Bangladesh nationals have to wait for hours together to get out of the airport with their valuables as the ground handling section, supervised by Biman Bangladesh Airlines, find it difficult to handle the rush when two or three flights land simultaneously due to its inadequate logistic support, manpower and modern equipment.
Biman has long been providing ground handling facilities to the country’s three international airports for a long time as the sole ground handler approved by the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB).
Talking to UNB, many passengers said they have to go through immense sufferings as the chaotic assembly of people caused by the poor handling of the airport authorities creates long queues at check-in desks, immigration desks and customs at the airport, which deals with 80 percent of the country’s air traffic.
According to them, the wage earners who remit around 14 billion dollars a year to boost the country’s foreign exchange do not deserve such humiliation at the airport.
“It took me about two and half hours to get out of the airport. I’d to pass most of the time at the conveyor belt to collect my luggage and other valuables. I don’t know why the authorities are not upgrading the ground handling section with modern equipment like other international airports,” Rafiqul Islam, who arrived from a European country, told UNB last week.
Despite close surveillance by members of the Airport Armed Police Battalion, Ansar members and civil aviation and Biman security personnel, the incidents of loss of purses and valuables of the passengers often take place mainly due to the carelessness of the officials concerned at the ground handling section.
