Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat has said that the third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport will be partially operational from December 16. Initially, two arrival and two departure flights will operate through the terminal every day. If everything proceeds as planned, operations will begin on the scheduled date.

The minister made the remarks at a meeting on preparations for the inauguration and launch of the third terminal at the conference room of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) on Saturday (November 14).

Describing the launch of the third terminal as one of the key commitments of the current government, the minister said the Prime Minister had instructed the authorities concerned to begin operations within the stipulated timeframe. Giving the directive the highest priority, all relevant agencies must complete their respective responsibilities within the deadline.

The minister further said that the long-standing efforts of all concerned had brought the third terminal to the stage where it was ready for operation. The remaining work must now be completed according to plan. Following its partial opening on December 16, activities will continue to make the terminal fully operational.

The meeting discussed various aspects of preparations for launching the third terminal. These included starting operations at the required immigration booths, installing baggage belts and scanners, conducting trial aircraft operations and signing necessary agreements. Representatives of the relevant agencies also shared updates on progress and discussed the next steps.

Urging all concerned agencies to give the highest priority to implementing the decisions taken at the meeting within the stipulated timeframe, the minister said the target of launching the terminal on schedule could be achieved through coordinated efforts by all parties.

Invest Bangladesh Authority Chairman Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun, Dhaka-18 lawmaker S M Jahangir Hossain and the Prime Minister’s Special Assistant for Civil Aviation and Tourism Gias Uddin attended the meeting.

Civil Aviation and Tourism Secretary Dr Nurun Nahar Chowdhury, National Board of Revenue Chairman Ahsan Habib, and representatives of the ministry, CAAB and the Japanese consortium were also present.