Complaints of mishandling of luggage and misbehavior by staffers and employees at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) are continuing despite many promises made earlier by concerned authorities. Migrant workers expressed helplessness while speaking at a mass hearing at the airport in presence of top officials of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) and the HSIA. Migrants earn foreign currencies working hard abroad, but the airport and Biman officials do not show minimum respect to them in many cases.
Several passengers who used the airport recently said it often takes them two to three hours to get their luggage after arrival. Outbound passengers, mostly migrant workers, regularly report their suffering because of the mismanagement, but with the latest suspension of flights, poor hygiene, and long waiting hours, the situation has aggravated. The government must, therefore, immediately attend to the problems and improve services such as passenger and ground handling. In last September, apparel exporters feared significant losses in business for missing freight transport deadlines as the number of explosive scanners at the Dhaka airport was insufficient to meet the demand. There is, it seems, the scope to improve security procedures at all three international airports in Bangladesh and the government should do so considering its own sovereign interest.
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 airfare has doubled. Bangladesh Biman tries to make up its year-round losses by charging the Middle East-bound workers excessive fare.
The civil aviation authorities and the government should work to improve the situation at the airport by taking appropriate measures and the national flag carrier should be more cautious to uphold the image of the flag and its fleets.
