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Minister explains additional Tk 900cr allocation for third terminal
Published : Sunday, 30 August, 2026 at 6:38 PM
Observer Online Report
Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister has explained the rationale behind an additional allocation of more than Tk 900 crore for completing and operationalising the third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
Responding to a supplementary question from Hannan Masud, MP for Noakhali-6, in Parliament on Sunday, the minister said the additional Tk 902 crore was not intended to create another opportunity for corruption by the contractor, but was necessary to make the Tk 2.1 billion state asset operational and generate revenue.
Hannan Masud alleged that the estimated cost of the international terminal had risen from Tk 13,000 crore to Tk 21,300 crore. He said a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) investigation had identified irregularities involving around Tk 4,469 crore and recommended recovering compensation from the contractor.
He questioned whether increasing the project cost by another Tk 902 crore when around 99.91 per cent of the work had been completed would create an opportunity for corruption.
In reply, the minister said important machinery, signalling systems and other components of the terminal had remained incomplete despite the previous government presenting the project as completed.
As a result, the government could not use the facility while it had already started repaying a substantial portion of loans taken from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), without generating revenue from the terminal.
After reviewing the project, the government found that Tk 902 crore was required to complete the remaining work, settle some outstanding payments to the contractor and other agencies, and make the terminal operational, the minister said.
He said approval of the additional allocation would allow the terminal to be opened quickly and increase its passenger-handling capacity from the current 1.2 million to around 2.4 million passengers. The resulting revenue would also help repay the JICA loan, he added.
Responding to another supplementary question, the minister said the government was taking measures to prevent ticket black-marketing and artificial shortages.
He said the basic one-way domestic airfare had not reached Tk 12,000, adding that taxes and other charges could temporarily raise the total cost. Including around 15 per cent tax, a normal ticket costs approximately Tk 6,300 to Tk 6,400, he said.
The minister said some dishonest groups sometimes create artificial shortages and attempt to sell tickets at inflated prices at the last minute. The government was taking visible steps to stop such practices and ensure passengers could buy tickets at the prescribed fare, he added.
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Editor : Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury
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Published by the Editor on behalf of the Observer Ltd. from Globe Printers, 24/A, New Eskaton Road, Ramna, Dhaka.
Editorial, News and Commercial Offices : Aziz Bhaban (2nd floor), 93, Motijheel C/A, Dhaka-1000.
Phone: PABX- 41053001-06; Advertisement: 41053012; 01793317829, 01550707291, E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] Online: email: [email protected] 41053014; 01550707297 Advertisement: 01550707296
