The airport experience

During a recent overseas trip, a foreigner asked me, “Is the Dhaka airport still in the same condition as it was before?” I replied, “We have built a state-of-the-art terminal 3, which is just waiting to be opened.” I wanted to portray a positive image of my country, though I knew it may take some time for the terminal to become functional. An international airport is not just a gateway to a country. It creates a perception about the state of the country and leaves a lasting impression.

The then Kurmitola International Airport opened in 1981, the same year that Changi Airport began operations in Singapore. How these airports have evolved over time is well known and reflects the different progress made by the respective countries. Changi is now building Terminal 5, while we have been struggling to get terminal 3 functional for quite some time.

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An international airport is not just a gateway to a country. It creates a perception of the state of the country and leaves a lasting impression.

When departing Bangladesh through Dhaka airport, the first thing that strikes me is the approach road to the airport, which is very narrow and full of potholes due to construction in the adjacent area that has been ongoing for many years. It may take 30-45 minutes, depending on the time of day, just to move up the ramp to reach the departure gates because of the sheer number of vehicles and bumper-to-bumper traffic. Once you reach the departure gates, you have to navigate with your luggage through hundreds of people who gather there during the day and even in the middle of the night. There are more onlookers and family members than actual passengers. An area outside the airport could be designated for passengers to say their goodbyes before taking a shuttle bus to the departure area, which should be restricted to passengers to reduce the chaos and ensure security.

Similar issues are faced when you arrive in the country. Most countries have developed a digital arrival form, such as the “SG Arrival Card” in Singapore, which you have to complete online at least 48 hours before arriving in the country. This saves data entry time at the immigration counter, which is increasingly becoming non-existent at airports such as Changi, where you scan your passport and face before crossing the automated gate as your data is already available in the immigration system through the digital arrival card. Had the automated immigration gates purchased a few years ago been made functional at Dhaka airport, immigration resources could have been better deployed to process the arrival of migrant workers without documentation and to carry out advanced screening of high-risk individuals to prevent their entry into the country.

At most overseas airports, I find that my luggage is already on the belt by the time I have cleared immigration. At Dhaka airport, it usually takes a long time for luggage to arrive on the belts. The exit area is as chaotic as the entry area, with crowds overwhelming incoming passengers, while considerable time is spent waiting for cars in the pick-up area.

An airport is not just a place of transit. For foreigners, this is where their experience of Bangladesh begins to take shape. The experience at the airport should be comfortable and stress-free after long hours in the sky. Let the journey to improve our experience at Dhaka airport begin with better management of our existing terminals. Hopefully, terminal 3 will open soon and change the perception of the country in a positive way.

The writer is a senior consultant for banks in Southeast Asia and has worked in senior regional leadership roles in global banks for more than two decades