CAAB to include new features in Dhaka airport third terminal

Dhaka : The civil aviation authority of the country is ready to include new features in the proposed third terminal project at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the capital without increasing the budget. All credit goes to the changes in the piling method that has saved about BDT 749 crore.
The Civil Aviation Authority Bangladesh (CAAB) recently received clearance in this regard from the Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase.
"Now the Development Project Proposal [DPP] of the third terminal project will be revised to spend the surplus funds on the construction of a separate VVIP terminal complex and a couple of boarding bridges," said Air Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman, Chairman, CAAB. 
According to previous plan, the 5,900 square metre VVIP complex was supposed to be built on the same compound where a cargo building and a multilevel car parking would be constructed and linked with a tunnel.
Now, under the new plans and with the new funds, the VVIP complex will be kept separate to easily manage movement and control extra rush and chaos, which usually interrupts operations at the airport.
According to CAAB, soil test results for the terminal buildings have indicated that the screw steel piling (SSP) system was not suitable for the project. As a result, the piling method was changed to a bored piling system instead of the expensive SSP method, after discussions with the authorities concerned and the consulting firm.
On December 28, 2019, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the much-awaited construction work of the BDT 21,300 crore Third Terminal of HSIA in Dhaka aimed at increasing the capacity of handling more passengers and cargo.
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the donor partner of the project, is currently evaluating the proposal of revising the DPP. The CAAB expects a positive response from JICA.
"Initially, two components have been added to the project. But the cost of these components has not been finalised yet," AKM Maksudul Islam, Project Director of the third terminal, said.
CAAB sources said that the authorities were planning to implement some beautification work under the project with the aim of making it a world-class terminal.  
The project has had around 14 per cent of progress made until April 30, according to CAAB sources. 
"We have plans to complete most of the piling work of the first phase before monsoon [July] so that heavy rain cannot disrupt the work," said CAAB Chairman Mafidur Rahman.
As per the initial plan, the project is scheduled to be completed by June 2023. CAAB is trying to complete 18 per cent of the work before July since the construction work is slow at this moment due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 
Some 3,000 piles are required for the project while one-third of the work is set to be completed by June. Of them, over 500 piles have already been installed.
According to a CAAB study, the airport will have passenger traffic of approximately 12 million by August 2022 and up to 22 million by 2035.
On completion of the project, the airport's annual passenger handling capacity will be 20 million from the current eight million, and cargo capacity will go up from 200,000 tons to 500,000 tons.
The project is also expected to improve air transportation, as well as contribute to the economic and social development of the country.
The new international passenger terminal building will have a floor area of roughly 2.25 million square feet. The existing two terminals have a space of around one million square feet together.
Additionally, the project will implement the construction of several exits and connecting taxiways, a parking apron in Terminal 3, new roads to connect the terminal with Airport Road and a drainage system. Passengers will be able to catch the metro rail from the terminal while a ramp will connect the terminal with the Dhaka Elevated Expressway.
The terminal will have 115 check-in counters, including 15 self-service ones; 66 departure immigration counters, including 10 automatic passport control counters; 59 arrival immigration desks, including five automatic check-in counters; 19 check-in arrival counters; and 16 arrival baggage belts.
According to the project design, the third terminal will have 12 boarding bridges and 12 conveyor belts.