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The construction works of the third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) will begin on Saturday on Saturday, said State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Md Mahbub Ali.
Ali said it to media on Friday after observing preparations for the inauguration of construction work at the airport.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the construction of the terminal, as per agency reports.
“She’ll also inaugurate Boeing Dreamliner ‘Sonar Tori’ and ‘Achin Pakhi’ besides launching the mobile app for Biman Bangladesh Airlines,” added Ali.
The construction work is expected to take 48 months.
Mr. Mahbub hoped the airport will become the finest in the region after the terminal is built.
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) approved the expansion project on October 24, 2017 at a possible cost of Tk 136.10 billion.
Later, it was revised to around Tk 213.99 billion. Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) is financing the construction work.
Four companies, including NIPPON KOEI, Oriental Consultant Global, CPG Consultants of Singapore and Design Consultants Limited of Bangladesh, were jointly appointed consultants for the construction project on June 11, 2017.
But the consulting firms could not start work in time. The expenditure for the consulting firms has been estimated at Tk 5.71 billion.
The three-storey third terminal building, designed by Rohani Baharin of internationally renowned CPG Corporation (Private) Limited Singapore, will have a floor space of 2,30,000 square metres.
It will have 115 check-in counters, including 15 self-service, 66 departure immigration counters, including 10 automatic passport control counter, 59 arrival immigration desks, including five automatic check-in counter and 19 check-in arrival counters, while 16 arrival baggage belts will be set up.
According to the project design, the third terminal will have 12 boarding bridges and conveyer belt each.
“We’re working to improve the quality of service of Biman Bangladesh Airlines and the airport. We’ve been successful in some areas with concerted effort,” the state minister said.
Civil Aviation and Tourism Secretary M Mohibul Haque said they had to overcome some obstacles to begin the construction of the third terminal.
“We have come this far with the sincere effort of all the government institutions concerned, especially with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s dedicated effort and guidance,” he said.
The secretary said it will be possible to handle 20 million more passengers per year once the third terminal is completed.
“A suitable firm for ground handling of the third terminal will be selected through open tender and any firm can apply if they have the necessary qualifications,” he added.
Once the third terminal is in service, Dhaka airport will be able to serve 120 million passengers every year. The passenger handling capacity is now eight million a year. The number of passengers is expected to reach 14 million by 2025 and 24.8 million by 2035.