Baggage woes mount in HSIA
Passenger suffering and repeated complaints of baggage being lost, damaged, slashed or looted at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) have exposed persistent weaknesses in ground handling, surveillance and accountability in Bangladesh’s aviation sector.
From migrant workers and tourists to Members of Parliament, passengers routinely report waiting 45 minutes to an hour and a half for luggage, with delays sometimes stretching to three hours.
The situation has prompted daily disputes with airport authorities despite repeated government measures to improve services.
International standards generally expect the first bag within about 10 minutes of an aircraft’s arrival and all baggage within 30 minutes.
At Shahjalal, that benchmark is frequently missed. Biman Bangladesh Airlines’ figures indicate the scale of the problem.
In 2025, 1,387 baggage complaints were filed, of which 1,372 were recorded as resolved.
Yet compensation was paid in only 15 cases. In the first few months of 2026, nearly 1,100 complaints were lodged and 914 marked resolved.
Of 115 complaints involving valuables, 113 were recorded as resolved, but payment details were available for only eight.
Critics say merely closing complaint files does not establish accountability, particularly when details of the complaints, investigations, recoveries and compensation remain unclear.
Legal notice over CCTV
Supreme Court lawyer Md Mahmudul Hasan Mamun sent a legal notice on 5 October demanding that baggage handling-from aircraft hold to baggage belt-be monitored through live CCTV displays to prevent theft and luggage tampering.
The notice was sent to the secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, CAAB chairman, Anti-Corruption Commission chairman, Biman’s managing director and chief executive, and officials of major airports including Shahjalal, Shah Amanat, Osmani, Cox’s Bazar, Saidpur, Rajshahi, Jashore and Barishal.
The notice says ordinary passengers, foreign diplomats, businesspeople and particularly migrant workers-described as “remittance warriors”-have long faced baggage-related problems.
Passengers’ accounts underline the distress. Saudi-based expatriate Omar Faruk found his luggage slashed and valuables missing.
Firoza Jahan, returning from Sydney, lost two of three bags. Jasmine Reza waited one and a half hours after arriving from New York, while Anwar Hossain of Cumilla waited three hours.
Dentist Dr Orakatul Jannat, returning from Umrah on 1 October, said she spent 30-40 minutes getting a trolley and nearly three hours waiting for baggage. “Being born in Bangladesh seems to have become something like a sin,” she said.
MPs also affected
Flight BG338 from Madinah, arriving at 8:55am on 1 October, carried at least 35 MPs. Most reportedly remained without their tagged baggage even after three hours.
Four Jamaat-e-Islami MPs lodged a written complaint with Biman’s managing director over harassment, baggage delivery and alleged negligence.
Jamaat MP Mohammad Kamal Hossain asked on Facebook: “Where will this suffering at Shahjalal end?” Biman subsequently issued show-cause notices to those concerned.
Probe finds worrying signs
Following a High Court directive, an 11-member independent investigation committee was formed on 10 August to examine baggage theft, damage, loss and passenger harassment. Its second meeting was held on 30 August.
The committee reportedly heard allegations that dishonest staff throw baggage around and move it outside CCTV coverage before stealing valuables.
Body cameras have been introduced for ground-handling staff, but complaints continue, prompting the committee to seek comparative data from before and after their introduction.
Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) General Secretary Advocate Humayun Kabir said: “An issue such as passenger harassment cannot be investigated simply by holding meetings. The whole process has to be examined on site.”
So far, two US-Bangla employees and one Biman employee have reportedly been dismissed. The committee has also sought details of previous investigations and disciplinary action.
Officials dispute complaints
Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat, after a surprise visit on 2 October, said: “There is no suffering for passengers at the airport now. Baggage is being delivered within 15 to 20 minutes on average.”
Parliamentary standing committee chairman Abul Kalam Azad Siddiqui said efforts were under way to deliver baggage within half an hour and add more trolleys.
Novoair Managing Director Mofizur Rahman, however, said baggage delays of one to three hours were a ground-handling problem and that responsibility rested with Biman, which handles ground services at Shahjalal.
Aviation experts say better infrastructure, including the Third Terminal’s modern baggage system, may help, but insist that stronger management, surveillance and accountability are equally essential to protect passengers and the country’s image.
