HSIA’s condition needs dramatic improvement

The current condition of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in Dhaka is truly shocking. Although the airport's facilities were never anything to boast about, with the closure of the airport's lone runway for around eight hours a day, things have taken a major turn for the worse.

Flights that were supposed to be operated over a 24-hour period are now being jammed into 16 hours due to renovation of the taxiways. As a result, the airport is constantly being overwhelmed with more passengers than it can handle. According to a report in this newspaper, it is near impossible for passengers to get their hands on luggage carts—which have always been too few and are usually in desperate need of repair. The queue in front of the departure lounge now extends way too far, causing all sorts of sufferings for passengers, including constant flight delays. The main reason for this is that the number of health officers that have been assigned to verify the Covid-19 tests are majorly inadequate. And while the queues everywhere are too long, there are hardly any seating facilities available for passengers at the airport.

The first thing that any foreign visitor notices when they visit a new country is its airport. The impression that our airport gives off is one that we should be ashamed of. We often hear our politicians and high officials talk about how important it is to present a good image of our country to the outside world. Well, what image are people to make of our country when they visit our overcrowded and underequipped airport, whose officials tend to be unhelpful and unfriendly?

Migrant workers, whose hard-earned money keeps our balance of payment stable, are among the worst sufferers due to the airport's woeful condition. Many of them, having travelled from the Middle East, have nowhere to rest once they return to the country. Is this how we should be treating our own citizens, who carry on their backs the fate of our economy?

It is outrageous to see how apathetic the authorities have been over the years to the sufferings of passengers at our airports. The current conditions are simply a result of that. For the authorities to allow our biggest airport to be in such a bad state—which presents a terrible first impression of our country to visitors—is testament of how much they actually care about the image of the nation.

We call on the government to take immediate measures to improve the conditions of HSIA. The number of usable luggage carts should be increased. The number of waiting room seats should also be increased, as well as the number of airport staff for all purposes. Moreover, these improvements shouldn't be short-term measures, but a permanent feature at the airport.