Ministry unsure of Tk 21,000cr HSIA 3rd terminal launch date

Dhaka’s long-delayed, Tk 21,000 crore third terminal at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA), hailed as a gateway to a modern Bangladesh, still has no confirmed opening date, with the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism admitting on Thursday that even they “do not know” when it will finally welcome passengers.

At a press briefing marking World Tourism Day, Adviser Sk Bashir Uddin and Secretary Nasreen Jahan faced pointed questions about the terminal’s repeated delays, but offered only vague assurances and shifting timelines.

“The specific date you’re asking for is not available to us at the moment,” Secretary Nasreen Jahan conceded. “We may have a goal in mind, but we don’t yet have a concrete reason to announce it.”

The terminal’s operational handover to a Japanese company, part of a government-to-government agreement, remains stuck in negotiations. “Nothing can be said until the process is complete,” Jahan said, adding that critical operational and maintenance systems, “the lifeblood of aviation,” are still being finalised.

Adviser Sk Bashir Uddin acknowledged the urgency, citing the massive public investment. “We have invested Tk 21,000 crore — not the Japanese. We need to start flights as soon as possible, not just to improve passenger service, but for economic survival,” he stressed. “Our efforts are endless. But we cannot name a date until the operator is selected and readiness tests are passed.”

The terminal, originally slated to ease congestion and elevate Bangladesh’s global aviation standing, has become a symbol of bureaucratic inertia—years after construction was largely completed.

In a fiery aside, Bashir Uddin lashed out at media coverage, calling a recent TV report about him “a mandate and a lie,” and instead urged journalists to expose what he described as systemic fraud in air travel.

“A final framework for fraud in various ways has been created,” he alleged, accusing ticket touts of inflating prices—selling Tk 30,000 tickets for Tk 1 lakh—and leaving seats empty despite full flights. “After boarding, you see empty seats—but no tickets available. Why isn’t this being investigated?”

He painted a poignant picture of migrant workers: “A man lives in the scorching desert for five or six years, away from his wife and children. When he saves enough to buy a ticket home, months of his salary vanish in corruption. The airline never sees that money—it’s stolen by middlemen.”

Bashir Uddin, who admitted he travels business class, challenged the press: “The low price of my ticket isn’t important. Investigate those who exploit the poor in the Middle East. That’s real journalism.”

As the third terminal gathers dust, the government’s message is clear: the infrastructure is ready—but the operational and political will to launch it remains elusive. For now, passengers, taxpayers, and overseas workers alike are left waiting—while billions sit idle in an airport that still won’t open its doors.