Sheer mismanagement has put the country’s busiest Hazrat ShahJalal International Airport into chaos and mismanagement for the last three days, causing immense sufferings to passengers. A glaring lack of maintenance and dismal state of services making travellers angry. There is chaos everywhere. Officials simply do not bother. But an international air port is a special place. Every care and quick service must be ensured if the country’s image is a consideration to anybody. Paralysis of the system is manifest but bureaucrats are happy in the thought that others will bear consequences. This has to change. We have political leadership is not unknown.
News reports on Sunday said that hundreds of passengers had to endure serious inconveniences due to the mismanagement at the airport following the start of an eight-hour daily closure of its lone runway. The airport authorities had assured that the runway closure, which came into force on Thursday midnight, would not cause any significant disruption to flight schedules and passenger handling services, but in reality just the opposite has happened, passengers alleged.
According to sources at the airport, the runway needs to be closed for 8 hours to facilitate the construction and expansion of taxiways for the under-construction third terminal of the airport by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAAB). The daily closure will continue till June next year. Due to the closure, the schedules of at least 12 international flights, operated by Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Saudia Airlines, Turkish Airlines and Malaysian Airlines, had to be changed. Some 85-90 flights now depart and touch down the airport within the 16-hour window a day. Around 10,000 passengers depart for different destinations from the airport daily. Signs of chaos and mismanagement are everywhere at the airport, inside and outside the terminal, passenger check-in counters of airlines, immigration and boarding bridges, passengers alleged.
Admitting the problem, the airport authorities said for the next four days the runway will remain closed for another two hours from 10:30am to 12:30pm to enable flight management training under the Air Force as part of preparations for the Victory Day celebrations. The airport authorities have already given directives to operate all immigration counters so that passengers can complete their immigration process on time. There are also allegations that just as Bangladeshi workers have begun going overseas on employment again with an improvement of the coronavirus situation, their air fare has doubled. Bangladesh Biman tries to make up its year-round losses by charging the Middle East bound workers excessive fare. If neighbouring countries, India and Nepal can provide reduced rates for their workers to travel to the Middle East, why can’t we?
