Biman bolstered with new equipment for Dhaka airport's 3rd terminal ground handling

Biman Bangladesh Airlines is confident in its expanded capacity, bolstered by newly added equipment, to deliver world-class ground handling services at the third terminal of Dhaka airport.

"Around 3,600 motorised and non-motorised pieces of equipment, valued at Tk1,000 crore, have been added to Biman's Ground Support Equipment (GSE) department in the last one year," said Shafiul Azim, managing director and chief executive officer at the national flag carrier, at an event on Thursday.

At the event held in the parking area of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, the airline showcased the equipment to demonstrate its capability in carrying out ground handling services at the newly-built terminal.

"Currently, we handle 160 flights daily. With this new procurement, Biman is now capable of providing uninterrupted ground handling services to 200 to 240 daily flights by 2024," said the Biman MD.

He mentioned that 70% of the equipment has already been added to Biman, and the remaining will be handed over in the next three months.

Apart from its own flights, the national flag carrier carries out ground handling services for all international airlines at all airports in the country, with an annual turnover ranging from Tk1,000 to Tk1,200 crore.

But services such as luggage handling were questioned by passengers. However, the delay in receiving luggage has significantly improved in the last year, according to the Dhaka Airport Authority.

Now, the first baggage becomes available within 18 to 20 minutes of a plane's landing, a significant improvement from the one to two hours it took just a year ago.

At Thursday's programme, Biman unveiled plans to introduce state-of-the-art body-worn cameras for its ground handling staff, aiming to address longstanding allegations of pilferage, missing luggage, and passenger harassment at the airport.

Regarding why issues such as luggage left behind, luggage slitting, and theft have not been completely eradicated, the authorities said the majority of cases involving luggage left behind are attributed to airlines.

On the other hand, new cameras have been installed for round-the-clock CCTV monitoring to curb theft and prevent luggage cutting.

Due to allegations of service gaps, Civil Aviation Authority Chairman Air Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman said last year Japan had shown interest in getting the ground handling work, and the government has decided to award them the job.

He said the terms of the work will be determined through a public-private partnership (PPP) for the project.

Since then, the Biman authority has defended its capacity to operate ground handling.

"Today's showcase is the appropriate answer to those who raised questions about Biman's capability of ground handling service. Now Biman has the capacity to serve two, three large terminals, like the new third terminal," said the Biman MD.

Asked if the service was being compromised because of Biman's monopoly in ground handling, he said, "The monopoly of the airline is because of its capacity. This monopoly exists and will prevail."

Azim said Biman is committed to providing world-class ground handling services to any airline.

Replying to a question, Azim said Biman has the sole right to provide ground handling services as it has that capacity, and like Biman, national flag carriers of other countries also enjoy such privileges in their respective countries.

He said if the ground handling service is awarded to any foreign company, it may create a security hazard as HSIA is a Key Point Installation (KPI).

Biman's GSE department, which provided ground handling services to 57,200 flights in 2023, is ready to serve HSIA's third terminal with 600 manpower, 376 motorised, and 4000 non-motorised equipment, Biman officials said.

The authority said that the procurement of 105 new pieces of equipment is under processing and will be added within December 2024.

Earlier on Thursday morning, Biman celebrated its 52nd anniversary by chalking out different programmes at its Balaka headquarters in the capital.