All charges and fees will be waved for non-scheduled additional flights for the next three days to ease passengers’ suffering after the fire incident at Dhaka airport, said Commerce Adviser Sk Bashir Uddin on Sunday.
“A total of 21 flights were either diverted or cancelled on Saturday following the massive fire at the Cargo Village of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport,” he told reporters after inspecting the post-fire situation at the airport
He said efforts began on Saturday night to assist passengers whose travel abroad was disrupted, particularly those traveling for jobs, medical treatment, or family emergencies.
“Flight operations resumed at 9 pm last night and have been running uninterrupted since then,” he added.
Expressing regret over passenger inconvenience, Sheikh Bashir Uddin said, “We arranged hotel accommodation, food, and other necessary support for affected passengers. Despite our efforts, we sincerely apologize for the hardship they faced.”
Smoke still billowing from cargo village at Shahjalal Airport 23 hours after fire
Regarding losses, he said, “Our damage assessment is ongoing. The area where imported goods were stored has been completely damaged. We are assessing the total loss by weight and sector.”
Addressing concerns about the delay in firefighting, the adviser said, “As the airport is a KPI area it has its own firefighting unit which responded immediately upon receiving the alert. The Fire Service units arrived within about 10 minutes. In total, 37 units worked to bring the blaze under control with WASA assisting in water supply.”
He added that all relevant investigation and intelligence agencies will work together to uncover the cause of the fire. “During the firefighting, it was not possible to remove the goods, but every aspect will be taken into account during the inquiry,” he said.
Exporters scramble to assess losses after airport fire
The adviser also said cargo operations have resumed, and commercial activities will continue round the clock seven days a week. “We are also reviewing the insurance coverage of the affected parties,” he added.