Habibur Rahman, a Bangladeshi expatriate living in the US, recently returned to the country after nearly two years to reunite with his loved ones.
Though he anticipated delays and hassle upon landing at Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, he was surprised by a different experience. “I was able to leave the airport in no time,” Rahman said, expressing his satisfaction .
Ataur Rahman, another returnee from Saudi Arabia, shared a similar experience. "After completing immigration, I found my luggage already on the belt. In the past, we had to wait a long time for it, but this time I got it without much delay.”
Once it was common for passengers to endure long waits—often hours—before receiving their luggage. However, the situation has significantly improved, with luggage now being delivered to passengers swiftly.
Usually passengers had to endure long queues at immigration after disembarking, followed by hours of waiting for their luggage.
Executive Director of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Group Captain Kamrul Islam, told UNB that continuous monitoring has allowed passengers to receive their luggage within a maximum of one hour or less. “Delivery is being ensured within 15 to 60 minutes for almost 88% of passengers. Further efforts are underway to reduce the delivery time even more.”
Kamrul also noted that incidents of luggage theft, tampering, or stolen items have significantly decreased, and such occurrences are now rare.
He emphasised that strict monitoring measures have stopped luggage tampering.
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Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB), Air Vice Marshal Md. Mofidur Rahman Bhuiyan, said long queues at immigration used to be a longstanding issue, which resulted in prolonged wait times for luggage as well. Now, the airport's condition has drastically improved, with immigration and luggage handling becoming more efficient.
Luggage left behind problem improvement
Previously, there were numerous complaints about luggage left behind. The issue has now decreased substantially. To address this, the capacity of incoming seats for airlines with excessive left-behind luggage has been reduced, and airlines have received overall support, significantly improving the situation. Currently, 99.80% of luggage is being delivered to passengers.
Passengers trolley problem
Another inconvenience for passengers was the limited number of trolleys compared to passenger demand. The number of trolleys has now been significantly increased to 3,600, with plans for further expansion. Arrangements have been made to ensure trolleys are available from inside the terminal to the multi-level parking and the east side of the road.
Facilitation of help desks and passenger information services
To improve service, new help desks have been established in the arrival and departure areas of the airport to provide passengers with information and guidance. Previously, passengers from various regions, both domestic and international, often faced issues due to a lack of proper information.
In response, two help desks have been set up in the arrival area and three in the departure area, where 54 staff provide free information round the clock.
24-hour hotline and new web portal
A 24-hour hotline service has been introduced to ensure passenger service, along with a new website and web portal. These services allow passengers to easily access assistance and resolve complaints by calling the 13600 hotline anytime. Up-to-date information is also available on the website.
Read more: HSIA launches Web Portal, call centre, CRM software for passengers
Free internet service introduced
The airport has introduced free internet service for passengers. Arriving passengers can use free Wi-Fi to stay connected, especially if they do not have a local SIM card, allowing communication through platforms like WhatsApp.
Number of free telephone booths increased
Ten free telephone booths have been set up to facilitate free calls and communication for passengers.
Shuttle bus service launched
In 2024, a shuttle bus service was introduced for passengers. The shuttle bus service connects the airport to nearby bus stands and railway stations in coordination with BRTC, providing air-conditioned buses.
The Executive Director, Group Captain Kamrul Islam, added that Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport handles around 55,000 international flights and 53,000 domestic flights annually.
Approximately 9 to 9.5 million passengers travel on international routes each year, with 2.3 to 2.5 million on domestic routes. In 2023, around 11.7 million passengers used the airport, and with increasing demand, this number is expected to rise further in 2024.
Efforts to provide better services and prevent passenger harassment are ongoing, with hopes that service quality will continue to improve, he added.