Foreign airlines operating at Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport have been found to face ground handling charges much higher than at airports in developed and regional countries, significantly increasing operational costs. As a result, airfares from Bangladesh remain higher than in neighbouring countries, according to industry insiders.
The ground handling charge for a Boeing 737-800 at Dhaka is Tk 350,950, a steep cost for foreign carriers. Complaints of not receiving all services from Biman Bangladesh Airlines, the sole ground handling agent, despite paying several times more, are longstanding. Airlines often spend extra to ensure adequate passenger service.
By comparison, the same service on the same aircraft costs $800 (Tk 97,545 at Tk 121.68 per dollar) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. At Kolkata's Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, an Airbus A320's ground handling costs $631 (Tk 76,780), while at Dhaka, it is $2,200 (Tk 267,696). Airlines spend several times more in Bangladesh than in India for similar services.
According to the Airlines Operators Committee (AOC), airlines pay Biman $2,200-6,000 per flight for ground handling, plus $0.07 per kilogram for cargo operations. Despite this, Biman provides only two to three staff per flight, insufficient to operate efficiently. Ground handling includes passenger boarding, baggage management, cargo handling, and other aircraft support operations.
A senior Biman official told The Daily Observer, "We set the charges as a package. All services are included. In other countries, charges are calculated separately. If all are added, the total cost is comparable."
Sources say airlines get ground handling services at much lower costs in countries such as India, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and China. Biman's monopoly affects ticket prices, which are further inflated by additional taxes, landing fees, parking and security costs.
Currently, the 38 foreign carriers operating at Dhaka employ around 1,150 support staff, roughly eight times the number needed if extra manpower weren't required for ground handling. For instance, UAE-based Air Arabia has 40 employees at Dhaka--28 for passenger services and 12 for cargo--whereas only four would normally suffice.
Officials say airlines raise ticket prices to offset these extra costs. Civil aviation parking, landing fees, taxes and other charges contribute to high operational costs, pushing fares even higher.
Research shows a Dhaka-Kuala Lumpur Batik Airlines flight costs Tk 49,993, while the same flight from Delhi costs Tk 35,326. A Dhaka-Jeddah Air India flight costs Tk 158,038, compared with Tk 57,000 from Delhi. Ticket taxes in Bangladesh are also high: Dhaka-Kuala Lumpur collects Tk 11,118, while Kolkata-Kuala Lumpur collects Tk 6,721. Dhaka-Bali is Tk 13,563 versus Tk 8,309 from Kolkata, and Dhaka-Sydney Tk 20,679 versus Tk 14,901 from Kolkata. Lowering taxes and charges could significantly reduce fares.
Biman officials dismissed the claims as "baseless and outdated."
