I have not come to this conclave (World-Class aviation for Bangladesh’s Economic Development), organised around Bangladesh’s aviation sector and its links to the country’s economic development by 2034, to deliver a technical lecture or presentation on aviation. I want instead to set out the government’s political vision and its priorities for the sector: how it sees aviation and how it intends to drive growth.

The sector must inspire us. At this conclave, I have seen excellent presentations on aviation and some of its challenges have come to the fore. They reveal that deep frustration has built up among many people around the sector. That is natural in a country that has had no democracy for 15 or 16 years. Nor is it surprising that aviation lacked a policy framework or regulatory environment conducive to its development. The government of the day took no supportive policy measures, because it had no interest. Its only interest was to turn aviation and other sectors into a source of plunder.

But the situation has changed. So we want to be hopeful. I say this: if, five years from now, at the end of our (the BNP-led government) first term, aviation remains as disappointing as before, the sector would be right to rebuke us. But I am confident that we will build a thriving aviation sector through supportive policy, one that eases the path to doing business and delivers world-class service to passengers.

Bangladesh must become a regional aviation hub. That requires developing airport infrastructure, expanding the capacity of the national carrier and modernising it. We need ground handling that meets international standards. No outsider will come and do this for us. When we act, others will join as partners. But no one will do it on our behalf. The leadership must come from us.

What has happened in the past has happened. Now we want to work constructively for aviation. We must expand our fleet. That is not someone else’s responsibility; it is ours, because we want to grow the sector. We want to harness the economic benefits that come from expanding networks and routes, and that requires enough aircraft. Whether we buy Boeing or Airbus is entirely Bangladesh’s decision. No one else has any say.

We must ensure that our Third Terminal (at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport) becomes fully operational. It is a major opportunity for the country.

On our first day in office, we found the situation as it was. Since then, we have swiftly brought the talks on the Third Terminal almost to their final stage. The prime minister on his very first day in office formed a committee on the terminal, whose members included the aviation minister and myself in my capacity as his then foreign affairs adviser. The prime minister directed that the talks be concluded as quickly as possible, with the national interest and the people’s interest to the fore, and that any deal benefit both sides, a ‘win-win’.

I am pleased to report that we are very close to concluding such a deal, one that will be mutually beneficial and will also contribute substantially to Bangladesh’s revenue.

The Third Terminal could open this December, though full operations may begin only in March or April next year. The speed and efficiency of the talks have made this possible. Full operations will create capacity for around 12 million passengers a year and begin the process of turning Bangladesh into a major aviation hub.

We must also ensure our operational readiness for the Third Terminal. We must bring passenger transfer arrangements and other operational preparations up to international standards, and we will. We are in talks with international partners and examining a range of possibilities, including investment.

We must expand our route network and flight frequency, and raise cargo and transport capacity. Buying passenger aircraft alone is not enough; we must also consider cargo, flight frequency and other factors. In this age of e-commerce, there is vast potential for moving goods across the world, and we must harness it.

We must develop our own maintenance, repair and overhaul, MRO, facilities and set up local aviation training centres. We must produce the next generation of pilots and airline engineers, and properly train ground staff, so that we can build an aviation sector that is effective, matched to demand and international in its standards of service.

On policy and regulation, we will maintain an “open sky” policy wherever possible. There may occasionally be unstable situations when we need to close our airspace, but only in the most extreme circumstances. We need open skies. We want to be like Dubai International Airport, with an open sky policy under which flights from across the world can use Bangladesh as a gateway to Southeast Asia, the Middle East and beyond.

This market for international aviation has scope to develop in full, and is worth perhaps BDT 700 billion today. We must harness that potential to build a thriving regional route network across South and Southeast Asia, and explore partnerships with low-cost carriers and the possibilities of new gateways.

East Asia, China, Japan and Korea offer vast scope for passengers, tourism, trade and investment. There is huge room to expand the movement of people and goods in that direction too.

I believe that under our prime minister’s leadership this country will move forward and prosper, and surprise the world in a positive sense. It will lead positively, across many sectors and in many ways.

As for the aviation minister, he has experience of working in the private sector, so bureaucratic complexity will not hold him back. We in government will work alongside him to break through those complexities and ease the business environment at home.

[State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir made the remarks as a special guest at the policy conclave titled “World-Class Aviation for Bangladesh’s Economic Development”, organised by The Daily Bonik Barta. His speech was translated for the English edition.]