HSIA to stay open 24/7 from May

In a sigh of relief, the runway at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport will remain operational for 24 hours from next month instead of June.
Hundreds of outbound passengers faced huge suffering due to chaotic situation and mismanagement at the HSIA for the last five months due to the closure of the runway from 12:00am to 8:00am every day for six months from December 10, last year.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh is constructing and expanding taxiways for the third terminal for which the runway needs to remain closed.
At least 13 to 16 international flights rescheduled their time due to the closure of the runway, sources at the HSIA, said.
Some 90 to 110 flights now depart and land within the 16-hour window, they added.
Several passengers said they had to suffer a lot due to mismanagement and the chaotic situation at the airport due to lack of manpower, additional ground handling facilities and other necessary services.
Passengers have been suffering a lot as mismanagement and chaotic situation prevails everywhere at the airport including inside and outside the terminal, airlines’ check-in counters, immigration and boarding bridges.
Every day, 28 airlines operate 90 to 100 flights, carrying around 15,000 passengers to different destinations from HISA.
Chairman, Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh, Air Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman said the runway will be open for 24 hours flight operation from the next month as the ongoing work for construction of the high-speed taxiway will be completed by the end of this month.
The CAAB chairman said when the third terminal will be open by the end of 2023, many aircraft will come to the runway.
Since the runway at Dhaka airport is one, the construction of two additional high-speed taxiways has been undertaken to reduce the duration of the aircraft on the runway and to enable it to exit the runway faster.