The newly constructed third terminal at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, built at a cost of BDT 211.39 billion, stands ready but remains unused due to the absence of an appointed operator. The visually striking terminal is fully equipped with elevators, escalators, check-in and immigration counters, baggage belts, and other necessary facilities. Boarding bridges have been connected, while taxiways, cargo terminal, aircraft parking bays, and car parking building are all completed. Only minor work remains in the VIP section, and a few customs machines are yet to be installed. Apart from these, the terminal is essentially ready for operation. Due to a lack of operator, the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) has not been able to launch the terminal fully.
Officials at CAAB said that a Japanese consortium is in the process of being appointed to operate the terminal. A contract may be signed by June. If that happens, it will take another six to eight months before the terminal can be opened to the public. Any further delay in signing the contract will push the terminal’s operations even further.
According to CAAB sources, the tender for constructing the third terminal was floated in September 2018. In December 2019, the Aviation Dhaka Consortium (ADC)—a joint venture of Japan’s Mitsubishi, Samsung, and Fujita—was awarded the contract. The construction began in April 2020, with the steel structure completed by June 2023. In October of the same year, the then government held a soft opening of the terminal.
A CAAB official told Bonik Barta that the terminal has been ready for operation since January this year. The contractor has also urged the authorities to officially take over the facility. The only remaining work—tiling and ceiling installations in the VIP and VVIP sections—can be completed at any time, the official added.
Air Vice Marshal Md Monjur Kabir Bhuiyan, Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB), told Bonik Barta that all the machines scheduled for installation by CAAB inside the new third terminal at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport have already been installed. “All the machines that were supposed to be installed inside the terminal by Civil Aviation have already been set up. They are being operated daily and maintained regularly,” he said.
Regarding operational readiness, he added, “The terminal building is in a ready-to-operate condition, but it wouldn’t be accurate to say it’s 100 percent complete. Work on the VVIP and VIP sections is still ongoing. It’s true that construction in the other interior areas has been finished. But many organizations are involved with the terminal, including Customs. Customs is supposed to install 16 machines, but they haven’t been able to process and bring those in yet. Without these, the work can’t really be considered complete.”
The third terminal will be operated under a public-private partnership (PPP) model. Bangladesh’s PPP Authority is currently implementing a project to bring in an operator under this model. As part of the process, the government is in discussions with a Japanese consortium to take over operations. CAAB sources said the consortium will be led by Japan’s private-sector company Sumitomo Corporation. It also includes four other private firms, along with Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) as partners.
When asked about the progress in appointing an operator, CAAB Chairman Air Vice Marshal Md Monjur Kabir Bhuiyan said discussions with the Japanese consortium are currently underway. He said, “We’re currently in talks with them (the Japanese consortium). We’re hoping to conclude the discussions and sign an agreement by June. Now, we’ll provide them with the Request for Proposal and the concession agreement. We will reach an agreement within June. After that, operations may begin within six months. We’re hopeful that we’ll be operational by the end of this year. We’re making our best efforts on this matter.”
Operating the third terminal will require around 6,000 personnel working across four shifts. A significant portion of this workforce will be recruited by the operating company. Once the agreement is finalized, the operator will begin hiring and training staff. This will be followed by trial operations and the development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). According to CAAB officials, completing these tasks after signing the agreement could take six to eight months.
Sk Bashir Uddin, Adviser in charge of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, said the interim government is keen to launch the third terminal as soon as possible. Speaking to Bonik Barta, he said, “The Chief Adviser’s directive is to launch this as soon as possible. As part of the overall plan, we have already held several meetings with those who will operate the terminal. We are advancing the process of signing the operation-related agreements with them.”
The Adviser noted that only minor construction work remains, and preparations for operations are progressing in parallel. He added, “Preparation for operations is also ongoing simultaneously. We are trying to establish an operation agreement with the Japanese on a G2G basis. This is currently at the discussion or negotiation level. Once the operator is appointed, an operation readiness test will be conducted, and then it (the third terminal) will become functional.”