A sum of 902 crore taka (£57 million) is urgently required to complete and operationalise the newly constructed Third Terminal at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, Parliament was told on Sunday. Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat disclosed the financial figure during a supplementary question-and-answer session chaired by Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed.
Responding to an inquiry from National Citizen Party (NCP) Member of Parliament Hannan Masud, Minister Millat launched a scathing critique of the previous administration’s handling of the landmark infrastructure project. He stated that the former government conducted a premature grand opening of the facility for political optics, leaving crucial internal systems and fundamental operational works unfinished behind its polished façade. Leaving a massive $2.1 billion state asset sitting idle places an unsustainable burden on the national exchequer, he argued, emphasising that bringing the terminal online without delay is vital to generating aviation revenue and servicing foreign debts.
The minister explained that the 902 crore taka funding package is designated to settle outstanding contractor bills and clear pending dues owed to the Aviation Dhaka Consortium (ADC), the joint venture responsible for the construction work. To prevent further stagnation, the Ministry of Finance has already sanctioned the necessary funds to expedite the remaining technical works. Once fully operational, the Third Terminal will effectively double the annual passenger capacity of Bangladesh’s flagship aviation hub, yielding the commercial returns needed to repay soft loans secured from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Addressing a follow-up query from reserved seat MP Sultana Ahmed regarding actual readiness, Minister Millat affirmed that preparatory work is proceeding swiftly. Approximately 57 per cent of the Operational Readiness and Airport Transfer (ORAT) framework has been successfully completed, with multidisciplinary teams working to conclude the final trials within the target schedule.
The parliamentary session also turned to past fleet expansion deals. Answering a question raised by Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) MP S M Jahangir Hossain, the aviation minister addressed aircraft procurement decisions negotiated under the previous government. He confirmed that formal agreements had been finalised to purchase nine new commercial aircraft for the national flag carrier, Biman Bangladesh Airlines. The civil aviation ministry is now preparing to launch a full-scale inquiry into those contracts to investigate whether procedural irregularities or financial malpractices took place during the purchasing negotiations.
