Tk 902cr More Needed to Make Airport Third Terminal Operational

Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat told Parliament on Sunday that the government needs an additional Tk 902 crore to make the third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) fully operational.

“When we came into office, we found that the fascist Awami League government had inaugurated a building in the name of completing the third terminal,” he said while replying to a supplementary question from NCP lawmaker Abdul Hannan Masud of Noakhali-6.

The minister said the project, initially estimated at around Tk 13,000 crore, underwent several revisions, eventually raising the cost to Tk 21,600 crore.

He said the terminal building had been constructed at the higher cost, but several essential components remained incomplete, including machinery integration and related Airport Development and Construction (ADC) works.

“The machines have arrived, but no integration has been done. The other ADC works related to it have also not been completed,” Millat said.

He said the incomplete terminal represented an investment of about $2.1 billion that risked being wasted unless it was made operational quickly.

“We need to make it operational as quickly as possible so that we can generate revenue and repay the loan,” he said.

The project was financed through a loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and the government has already repaid Tk 1,100 crore in instalments since taking office, he said.

“The loan has to be repaid. To repay it, we need to operationalise the terminal as quickly as possible,” Millat said.

He said some previous arrears remained unpaid and that, including dues to ADC and the funds required to complete the remaining work, the government had calculated that Tk 902 crore was needed.

“We have calculated accurately and transparently that Tk 902 crore will be required. Once this payment is made, we will be able to launch the third terminal,” he said.

Millat said the government had approached the Planning Ministry for approval of the additional allocation, while the Finance Ministry was taking steps to arrange the funds.

He said the third terminal would significantly increase passenger-handling capacity and generate additional revenue.

“At present, we can handle around 1.2 million passengers. Once the third terminal starts operating, we will be able to handle twice that number,” he said.

The additional revenue, he added, would help the government repay the JICA loan.

“If we can start the terminal sooner, we can earn revenue sooner and repay the loan sooner,” Millat said.