HSIA third terminal to run on PPP

The operation and maintenance of the third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka will be carried out under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP).

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs gave the policy approval to the project titled “Operation and Maintenance of Third Terminal at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport” in a meeting on Thursday, with Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal in the chair.

After the meeting, Cabinet Division Additional Secretary Syed Mahbub Khan said the project would be implemented through a PPP approach under the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB), a wing of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism.

Replying to a question, Mahbub said it is not yet clear who will get the work of this project.

It is expected that the third terminal of the airport would be inaugurated in October this year. It is being built on the model of Singapore’s Changi Airport. More than 51 per cent of the project has already been completed.

According to CAAB sources, the third terminal construction project was approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on October 24, 2017.

At that time, the expenditure was estimated at Tk 13,610 crore. Later, the project cost was increased by Tk 7,788.59 crore to over Tk 21,398 crore.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is providing the major fund — Tk 16,141 crore — for the construction, while the Bangladesh government is giving the remaining portion. The construction of the project began back in December 2019.