Biman to be sole ground handling
FROM PAGE 12
expectation of quality ground handling services at Terminal-1 and -2. Our hope was that we would be able to provide international standard services at Terminal-3,” he also said.
No international airport in the world has a single ground handling service provider, he said.
CAAB had appointed International Finance Corporation, a concern of the World Bank Group, as a transactional adviser. It submitted a report in favour of appointing multiple service providers at the third terminal for better service.
Mofidur said the number of passengers and carriers serving Dhaka will increase after the third terminal is properly launched, and multiple ground handling service providers would be needed to ensure quality service.
“In Bangladesh, no one has the ability to deal with the cargo handling job at the third terminal. I can guarantee that no one in Bangladesh has the ability to operate these facilities as they are totally automated,” said the former CAAB chief.
The third terminal, funded with Japanese loans, requires efficient revenue generation to meet debt repayment obligations, and any lapses in ground handling could jeopardise this goal.
The third terminal project, with a budget of Tk 21,300 crore, began on December 28, 2019. The government contributed Tk 5,000 crore, while the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) provided the rest.
Aviation expert Kazi Wahidul Alam said monopoly in ground handling will benefit Biman, but passengers will suffer.
Wahidul also said, “Foreign airlines will not have any other option than to become hostages to Biman.”
Wishing anonymity, officials of several foreign airlines said they do not want to remain hostages to Biman.
“We want multiple ground handling service providers at the third terminal for ensuring better services through competition,” said a top official of a foreign carrier.
CAAB Chairman Monjur Kabir Bhuiyan recently told the media that operations of the third terminal were likely to start next year.
The 230,000 square metre terminal has 115 check-in counters, 66 departure immigration desks, 59 arrival immigration desks, and 3 VIP immigration desks.
HSIA’s annual passenger and cargo handling capacity is expected to double when the terminal is properly operational.
The annual passenger handling capacity of the HSIA would be 24 million (including the old terminals). At present, the Dhaka airport can handle 8 million passengers and 500,000 tonnes of cargo each year.
A major portion of Biman’s income comes from ground-handling services. The airlines earned around Tk 1,500 crore from this in 2023.
Baggage handling remains a thorn in passengers’ sides. Many complain of delayed baggage delivery, damage to their belongings, and theft.
Public hearings at the airport highlight these issues, reflecting poorly on Biman.
Foreign carriers have consistently complained about Biman’s services. Several airlines told this correspondent that despite paying for ground handling service, they often receive insufficient support from Biman.
In some cases, the carriers deploy their own people at the airport to maintain service quality.
“We need to deploy 30 to 40 staffers at the airport during departures of flights and for cargo handling. It is Biman which is supposed to carry out these jobs,” said an official of a foreign carrier.
Biman, however, said they are prepared for the third terminal. In addition to recruiting and training Biman’s personnel, new equipment is being purchased.
“Several types of equipment have already been added to Biman’s Ground Support Equipment (GSE). Over the next few months, approximately 70 types of equipment will be given to Biman’s GSE,” Bushra Islam, general manager, public relations, Biman said in a message.
Due to the adoption of modern technology and strong management initiatives, there has been a significant improvement in service quality, she said.
Bushra said outsourcing this responsibility to any external entities would result in a substantial loss of national revenue and harm the country’s interests.