First plane lands at Shahjalal’s third terminal
Published: 05 August 2025, 8:31:38
For the first time, a plane has landed at the newly constructed third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
The first aircraft to use Terminal 3 is a Boeing 787 Dreamliner of Biman Bangladesh Airlines.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner earned the distinction of being the first plane to land at Terminal 3 on Monday (August 4), using the Passenger Boarding Bridge (PBB) and Visual Docking Guidance System (VDGS). The aircraft landed at the new terminal in the morning after returning from Rome.
According to Biman Bangladesh Airlines, the flight was operated by Captain Ishtiak Hossain, assisted by First Officer Tahsin. Air Commodore Abu Sayeed Mehboob Khan was present at the event to witness this operational milestone.
After passengers disembarked, the functionality of the VDGS, external power supply via the boarding bridge, air conditioning system, and water supply system were tested between 10:30 AM and 1:00 PM.
This marks a significant step toward the operational readiness and enhanced service capacity of Terminal 3.
The project to build the third terminal was initiated in 2017, with construction officially starting on December 28, 2019. The estimated cost of the terminal is around Tk 21,398 crore. Of this, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is providing a loan of Tk 16,141 crore, while the remaining funds are being provided by the Government of Bangladesh.
The three-storey terminal is being constructed on 30 lakh (3 million) square feet of land, with a total floor area of 230,000 square meters. The building is 700 meters long and 200 meters wide. It was designed by Rohani Baharin, an internationally acclaimed architect from CPG Corporation Pte Ltd, Singapore.
