Airport's maze: How to get there

Highlights:

• Poor signage causes travellers to enter wrong airport terminals
• Construction and strict checks create severe entry gate traffic bottlenecks
• Passengers report delays despite claims of improved baggage handling
• Many travellers unaware of new waiting lounge facilities available
• Limits on accompanying persons reduce inside crowding but cause outside issues
• Authorities blame ongoing construction and promise updated signs and repairs

Sufferings at Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport seem to have no end. While complaints about harassment inside the airport were once the main concern, travellers are now facing additional troubles – long tailbacks at the entry gates and confusion due to the lack of clear directional signage.

Many outbound passengers struggle to find the departure driveway as there are no clear signs to guide them. As a result, some mistakenly enter the arrival terminal or the domestic terminal instead.

Ongoing construction, poor signage, and strict security checks have collectively worsened the experience for travellers at the country's largest airport.

In the past, passengers frequently complained about delayed baggage delivery, rude behaviour towards expatriates, and flight delays.

Airport authorities now claim that baggage delivery has improved significantly, but some passengers still report dissatisfaction.

According to officials, the airport handles approximately 12.5 million passengers annually, with between 140 and 150 international flights operating each day.

Entry gate bottlenecks

Traffic chaos is particularly acute at the entry gates. Around 2:30pm on 13 November, a significant tailback was observed at the entrance connecting the first and second terminals from Airport Road, despite the day having fewer vehicles due to a political lockdown.

On-site observations found that security personnel were stopping and searching every vehicle one by one, checking documents and inspecting for security risks. This essential security measure, combined with the fact that renovation work has narrowed the entryway to allow only two cars at a time, creates a severe bottleneck.

Shahjahan, a receiver waiting for his brother, expressed his frustration, stating: "There was no traffic all the way from Narayanganj, but I've been stuck here at the gate for 15 minutes." 

A passenger travelling to Saudi Arabia from Noakhali lamented the delays, saying, "My flight is at 5pm, I was supposed to enter by 2, but it's already 2:30, and I'm still stuck outside."

Baggage and waiting lounge issues

While multiple passengers acknowledged that the treatment of expatriate workers inside the airport has improved compared to previous years, dissatisfaction remains in other areas. Recently, travel blogger Boni Amin expressed frustration on Facebook after failing to receive his luggage half an hour after landing, despite authorities claiming significant improvements in baggage delivery.

Furthermore, many early-arriving passengers from distant districts, such as Mazu Mia from Habiganj, remain scattered outside the terminal, completely unaware that a dedicated waiting lounge has been built for them at the car parking area. Mazu Mia remarked, "I'm surprised to hear there's a waiting lounge! The authorities should inform passengers about such facilities."

To manage crowding and enhance security, airport authorities issued a new directive on 27 July, limiting accompanying persons to a maximum of two per passenger at the departure driveway or arrival canopy area. 

While this measure has reduced crowding inside the terminal, passengers and their families are now facing difficulties outside – particularly at the entry gates.

Authorities claim improvement, acknowledge delays

Addressing the long tailbacks, Airport Executive Director Group Captain Ragib Samad told TBS that congestion is a result of security-mandated rigorous checks, which are "extremely urgent" to ensure the overall safety of the airport's driveways and canopy areas. He added, "We are trying to complete the checking quickly to reduce the jam."

The executive director also addressed the signage issue, stating: "Adequate signage has been installed from the entrance of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport from the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway all the way to the terminal building for international arrivals, international departures, and the domestic terminal. However, some signage has become slightly faded – these will be quickly replaced and updated."

Authorities attribute much of the inconvenience to the construction of an underpass near the Hajj Camp, which has been ongoing for approximately two years and may take another year to complete. Ragib confirmed that temporary road repairs are being made, but permanent road development will only commence after the underpass project is finished.