77.5% work of HSIA's 3rd terminal done: CAAB

About 77.5 per cent work of the third terminal at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in Dhaka has been completed, and it is expected to be operational next year.

Civil Aviation Authority Bangladesh (CAAB) Chairman Air Vice Marshal Muhammad Mafidur Rahman said this during a press conference on Tuesday afternoon at the under-construction terminal.

Mafidur Rahman said that construction of the third terminal is currently in its final stages.

“Our goal is to achieve 90 per cent completion of the project before October, and we are optimistic that the work will be finished ahead of schedule. Currently, 77.5 per cent of the project has been completed,” he said.

The government has prioritised the completion of this project and has decided to partially open the new terminal, he said.

While the soft opening is planned for October, the new terminal will be fully functional by 2024.

“To ensure timely progress, construction work is being carried out day and night -- even during the ongoing Eid holidays. We hope to hold the soft opening in the first week of October, as per the government decision,” he added.

Samsung Construction and Trading (C&T) Corporation, a construction unit of the Samsung Group, is overseeing the third terminal's construction project.

“The company has an impressive portfolio, having constructed iconic buildings such as Burj Khalifa, Petronas Twin Towers, Taipei 101, Singapore Changi Airport's Terminal 4, South Korea's Incheon International Airport, and Abu Dhabi's Cleveland Clinic,” said Mafidur Rahman.

The terminal's interior has been designed by renowned architect Rohani Baharin, who has previously worked on projects including Terminal 3 of Changi Airport in Singapore, the ATC Tower Building in Guangzhou, China, Ahmedabad International Airport in India, and the Terminal Building of Islamabad International Airport.

HSIA expansion project was approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on October 24, 2017, with financing from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Initially estimated to cost Tk 13,610 crore, the budget for the large-scale third terminal project was later increased by an additional Tk 7,788.59 crore.

Once completed, the new terminal, spanning an area of 5,42,000 square metres, will feature a parking apron capable of accommodating 37 aircraft. However, the main highlight will be the modern terminal building, integrating state-of-the-art technologies within its 2,30,000 square metre of interior space.