Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Sunday directed the relevant authorities to expedite the opening of the long-awaited Third Terminal at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in the capital.

The directive aims to immediately enhance the country's passenger handling capacity and overall operational efficiency.

The Prime Minister issued these instructions while chairing a high-level meeting at the Cabinet Conference Room of the Secretariat.

Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Afroza Khanam briefed reporters following the session, noting that the Prime Minister has "given clear directives" to ensure the facility is made operational at the earliest possible date.

The meeting was attended by Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism M. Rashiduzzaman Millat and CAAB Chairman Air Vice Marshal Md. Mostafa Mahmud Siddique.

Regarding a potential inauguration date, Minister Afroza stated that no specific timeframe can be confirmed yet.

"There will be further discussions and technical assessments to determine how the process can be expedited," she explained, adding that while work is ongoing, "we cannot give a definite date right now."

When questioned about why the terminal remained closed despite more than 99 percent of the physical work being finished, the minister attributed the delay to the tenure of the previous interim government.

She remarked that "the present government is now taking steps to resolve the outstanding issues" to finally open the facility.

The Third Terminal was designed to significantly expand HSIA’s annual passenger and cargo capacity, with the ultimate goal of transforming Dhaka into a major regional aviation hub.

PM Presides over ‘Building a Healthy Bangladesh’ Meeting at Secretariat

On the same day, Prime Minister chaired a high-level meeting titled "Building a Healthy Bangladesh" at the Bangladesh Secretariat.

The session, held this afternoon in the Prime Minister's special meeting room within the Cabinet Division, focused on strategic health initiatives.

The meeting was attended by Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Hossain, Prime Minister's Adviser Mahdi Amin, Cabinet Secretary Dr. Nasimul Ghani and the Prime Minister's Principal Secretary ABM Abdus Sattar.