Govt to decide on ground handling at Dhaka airport’s third terminal: CEO

Staff Reporter :

Biman Bangladesh Airlines Managing Director (MD) and CEO Shafiul Azim said no official decision has so far been taken on the ground handling at the third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka.
“The prime minister gave a clear directive during her visit to the airport that the ground handling should be improved, it should be world-class. We have been working to ensure that since then,” he mentioned.
As the ground handling is one of the most important sources of income for the airline, Biman has been overseeing it closely.
“Since then, we have been procuring new equipment. We have already bought new equipment worth Tk1,000 crore, and a Tk600-700 crore budget to buy new equipment is in the pipeline. We have recruited manpower as well,” Biman MD informed.
He said that once the third terminal at Dhaka airport goes into operation, Biman will be able to provide 30 percent more services than the current ground handling capacity.
the government will decide who will do the ground handling at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport’s third terminal, not the Civil Aviation Authority, The Biman CEO confirmed.
Mokammel Hossain, Secretary to the Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry, told the journalists “The ground handling work at the third terminal of Dhaka airport should be smart, and it will be better if the authorities concerned choose an efficient company that can jointly work with Biman Bangladesh Airlines.”
Earlier, on July 15, Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) Chairman Air Vice Marshal Md Mafidur Rahman said
at an event that Japan has shown interest in ground handling work at the third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. The government has taken a policy decision to give them the work, he said.
The terms of the work will be determined through a public-private partnership, he expressed.
Meanwhile, the world-class third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport will be partially inaugurated in the first week of October this year while it is scheduled to be fully operational in 2024.