When will the third terminal of Shahjalal be opened, civil aviation does not even know!

Even though the loan repayment period provided by JICA has started, the government is not able to open the third terminal of Shahjalal Airport. The sector has been advised to open this terminal quickly, not for better quality services, but also for income. Service seekers feel that if the terminal is opened, its reputation in the world will increase. Suffering will reduce in all areas. However, civil aviation could not give a specific time in this regard. There are concerns about the opening of the third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport even by the end of this year. Initially, a soft opening was held in October 2023 with the aim of providing services to this terminal with aesthetic and modern facilities. It was assured that the terminal would be opened a year later, in October 2024. But even after almost two years, the authorities are not ready to open it. When will the waiting period end? This is the question of airport users. They say that the pressure from passengers is too high. Also, big investors are coming from abroad. However, the airport authorities are not able to provide services accordingly. It is urgent to open the third terminal quickly. Meanwhile, Tk 21,300 crore has been spent on the construction of the terminal so far. Of this, the Tk 16,000 crore installment given by JICA was supposed to start from October 2024. Although the installment payment has been postponed for a year in the context of bilateral negotiations, there are doubts among experts about the opening of the terminal this year. Bangladesh Monitor Editor Kazi Wahidul Haque said, I have been hearing for more than a year that the Japanese consortium will be given the responsibility of operating it. However, if the operating company is not yet ready, how will they suddenly come and work? They should also be given a chance. Former director of Bangladesh Biman Nafis Imtiazuddin said, the third terminal should be opened. Because the loan taken for it has to be repaid. If it is not operated, where will the money come from? Despite the growing concerns of aviation stakeholders, the Civil Aviation Authority has not yet given a specific date for when the new terminal will be opened. “We are trying to move towards operational maintenance by taking over as soon as possible,” said Air Vice Marshal Mustafa Mahmud Siddique, chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority. However, a specific date cannot be given right now. According to the information, the Civil Aviation Authority is unable to take a decision on opening the third terminal due to various issues including a bilateral agreement between the Civil Aviation Authority and a Japanese consortium to operate the third terminal, recruitment of about 6,000 manpower, training, machine-to-machine calibration, testing and ground services.