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PM pledges to further open up aviation

Extended terminal building of ZIA inaugurated

STAR BUSINESS REPORT
Prime Minister Khaleda Zia yesterday pledged to further open up the aviation sector, saying private participation will lead to improvement in the rapidly growing sector.
"The government encourages more private sector involvement in the air travel sector as it can create an competitive environment which will bring forth quality service," she said at the inauguration ceremony of extended terminal building of Zia International Airport (ZIA).
As aviation sector is closely related to tourism industry, opening up of the sector will raise revenue creating employment opportunity and contributing significantly to national development, the prime minister said.
She said international operation and helicopter service have already been opened to private sector.
The government, she said, will continue supporting the private sector by developing necessary infrastructure facilities. After completion of two new airports in Mongla and Bogra, which are now under construction, the domestic air travel market would see a boost, she said.
The new passenger terminal
building will increase handling capacity of ZIA to 52 lakh a year which was 35 lakh earlier. Constructed at a cost of Tk 55 crore, the ground floor terminal has all modern amenities for international passengers.
The second phase of the project will be implemented at a cost of Tk 76 crore which includes extension of first, second and mezzanine floors. On completion of the project in 2004, ZIAwill be able to handle one crore passengers a year.
The terminal with a floor space of 15,558-square-metre has four luggage carousals, duty free shop, spacious rest rooms for passengers. A parking space in front of the building can accommodate 120 cars. A ramp of 2,020 square metres and canopy of 1,739 square metres have been constructed in front of the new extended building.
The old passenger terminal building has two floors with a space of 26,940 square metres. The first floor is used by departing passengers and ground floor provides facilities for arriving passengers. After completion of the whole extension project, ZIA passenger terminal building will have a floor space of 67,779 square metres.
Addressing the ceremony, State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Mir Mohammad Nasir Uddin said with the opening of the extended terminal ZIA now can offer international standard service.
He said the newly constructed cargo village at a cost of Tk 32 crore plays an important role for air cargo movement between Bangladesh and international destinations through ZIA.
The multi-storied car park constructed at a cost of Tk 11 crore has eliminated parking chaos. It generates Tk 86 lakh as toll. To ensure standard service to users a coordination committee has been formed involving all 18 agencies working in ZIA. The committee headed by director of ZIA meets every Sunday, he said.
Civil Aviation and Tourism Secretary Md Shafiqul Islam and Chairman of Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) Zahed Quddus also spoke at the function. Ministers, parliament members, diplomats, high officials of CAAB and Biman Bangladesh Airlines and country managers of foreign airlines attended the function.