Concerns over opening of Shahjalal Airport’s third terminal

BD Digest Report

There is concern about whether the third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the capital will be opened this year or not. After the current government came to power, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman ordered to take necessary steps to open the terminal. After that, the ministry started working. However, there has been no progress in the government’s second round of talks with Japan. The new proposal will be discussed again. Overall, the current situation has raised concerns about whether the long-awaited terminal will be opened this year.

Meanwhile, after a meeting with the Japanese delegation on Friday (April 3), Aviation Minister Afroza Khanam said, “We are repeatedly sitting at the same table to protect the country’s interests. We want to open the terminal as soon as possible.”

On the other hand, several officials of the Civil Aviation Authority said that it is not possible to open the third terminal this year. It will take at least another one to one and a half years to open it.

They said, “Discussions with Japan on the launch have just begun. We have not yet reached an agreement. Both sides have agreed to sit down again. If we can reach a consensus in the third meeting, then the launch process can be said to have initially begun.”

They also said that Japan will take an office in Dhaka. Then they will have to open a company on their behalf. To open this company, they will have to go through many processes. Then, goods will be needed for terminal operations. If they buy it according to procurement, it will take a lot of time. Or if they bring them from Japan, it will be faster. The location of the offices of immigration, customs and other government agencies in the terminal will have to be determined and time will be given for their offices.

Mehboob Khan, a member of the BNP (operations) committee, said, “We did not reach an agreement in the second round of talks. Japan is going to make another proposal next Monday. We will sit down again and discuss their proposal.”

In response to a question, he said, “The government wants to launch it quickly, and we are working towards that goal. If everything goes well, it is possible to launch it by the end of the year. However, everything depends on the success of the negotiations.”

Sources said that the main stumbling blocks in the talks are the revenue sharing structure and risk sharing conditions. The second round of high-level talks held on Friday also failed to reach an agreement on these two important issues. Although Japan presented a revised and detailed proposal, the Bangladesh government did not immediately agree; instead, it highlighted the need for a more in-depth review of the country’s financial interests, long-term liabilities and operational control.

At the meeting, the Working Group (SWG) comprising Japan’s Sumitomo Corporation, Haneda, Narita Airport Authority (NAA), and Nippon Koei presented their proposal with fixed revenue shares, upfront pricing, embarkation fees, and a structured risk-sharing model for the passenger and cargo sectors.

The focus of the meeting was on embarkation fees, advance payment fees, and revenue sharing structures.

Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Afroza Khanam said, “We are repeatedly sitting at the same table to protect the country’s interests. We want to open the terminal as soon as possible.” State Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat urged the Japanese representatives to reconsider Bangladesh’s proposal and submit a new revised proposal. He also highlighted the new democratic government’s interest in working with Japan.

According to sources, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman held a meeting with the officials concerned on February 22 regarding the opening of the third terminal. In the meeting, he ordered to hold discussions with the Aviation Dhaka Consortium (ADC), which is participating in the construction of the third terminal. He also ordered to open it as soon as possible.

It is worth noting that the construction of this terminal began on December 30, 2019. The project was inaugurated in October 2023 after more than 99 percent of the work was completed. After more than two years, the activities could not be started only due to the failure of negotiations with Japan. Basically, the previous interim government could not reach a final agreement with the Japanese consortium on terminal management, operational control and revenue sharing.

It is alleged that Japan withdrew from the talks, annoyed by the “stubborn” attitude of the interim government. In such a complex situation, Tarique Rahman, immediately after assuming office as Prime Minister, gave strong emphasis to the opening of the third terminal and ordered a meeting with Japan.

The much-discussed third terminal has an area of ​​230,000 square meters. Currently, the first and second terminals of Shahjalal Airport have a capacity to carry about 8 million passengers per year. If the third terminal of 542,000 square meters is added, it will be possible to serve up to 20 million passengers per year. The terminal can park 37 aircraft at a time. The new terminal has all the latest facilities, including 16 baggage belts. The building will have touches of all the world’s notable and latest technologies. It will have several straight escalators. This system is for those who cannot walk long distances to the airport. Such escalators are widely used in the world’s most modern and high-passenger airports, including Singapore and Bangkok.

The new terminal has three separate storage areas for passengers’ bags, similar to those at Singapore’s Changi Airport and Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport. These are regular baggage storage, lost and found, and odd-sized (overweight) baggage storage. The terminal will have 16 regular baggage belts for passengers’ normal-weight baggage. Four more separate belts have been set up for overweight baggage. There will be a beautiful baby care lounge in front of each washroom in the terminal. Inside this lounge, there will be a breastfeeding booth for mothers, a diaper changing area, and a large family bathroom.

In addition, a children’s play area with sleepers and swings has also been set up here. A health inspection room, a first-aid room for primary treatment, a testing center for various diseases including corona, and an isolation area have already been built. This state-of-the-art terminal building will have 10 self-check-in kiosks (machines). When passport and ticket information is entered in these, the boarding pass and seat number will automatically come up. After that, the passenger will place his luggage in the designated place. The luggage will automatically go to the designated place on the aircraft. However, baggage weighing more than 30 kg cannot be checked in here. There will be 100 more check-in counters for passengers in this terminal.