All baggage to arrive within 40 minutes at 3ird Terminal, penalty for failure: Minister

The government has fixed a time limit for passengers to receive their baggage at the much-anticipated Third Terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. Under the new rule, the first bag must reach the passenger's hands within 12 minutes of disembarking from the aircraft, and the last bag within a maximum of 40 minutes. If the responsible operating consortium fails to provide service within the stipulated time, it will be fined.

Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism M Rashiduzzaman Millat conveyed the decision at a press conference held at the Secretariat on Tuesday, September 29.

Speaking at the press conference, Civil Aviation Minister Rashiduzzaman Millat said, "We will be able to partially inaugurate the Third Terminal on December 16. It may take five to six months for it to be fully completed. You can expect that you will be able to travel through a good airport, and the suffering of ordinary people at our old airport will be completely resolved."

Regarding the agreement on terminal operation and passenger services, the Civil Aviation Minister said, "In the contract we have with the Japanese consortium, it is specified exactly how long it will take for a passenger to get off or board the plane. If they are late, since they will handle it, they will be fined. We have stipulated the time within which their baggage must arrive — a person must receive their baggage starting from 12 minutes up to within 40 minutes. And if anyone receives it after this, the first bag must arrive in 12 minutes and the last bag has been given 25 minutes, but we will allow up to 40 minutes as a grace period. If they cannot do this, they will be fined."

He further said, "We have ensured these matters in our consortium's contract for passenger services. We believe that once our Third Terminal is inaugurated, the negative impression people had about our aviation sector, especially about Biman, will be reduced to a large extent."

The Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism said, "In the first week of November, under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, we will also open the Cox's Bazar airport as an international airport. Many have already contacted us there as well, AirAsia has contacted us, direct flights will come to Cox's Bazar from Penang and go to Malaysia."

He further said, "We are thinking about whether this can be expanded further to other places. Through this, an aviation hub for Bangladesh will be created, which we have considered."