Shawdesh Desk:

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday said that either Bangladesh’s resort town Cox’s Bazar or Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka might soon become the international air transportation hub due to the geographical location.

The prime minister said this while addressing a programme marking the soft opening of Terminal 3 of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

She said that the government was transforming the airports of the country keeping that goal in mind.

In this connection, she mentioned that time to time the air transportation hub changes. Once upon a time it was Hong Kong then Singapore, Thailand and now Dubai.

‘I believe that one day Bangladesh, our Cox’s Bazar or Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport will be the international hub,’ she said.

‘We have that planning,’ she said.

She said that security of the airways was very much important and for that reason the government was going to install sophisticated radar and navigation system at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

‘The installation work is going on in full swing,’ she said, adding that French company Thelas is installing this radar.

She also mentioned that the old one was installed by the same French radar-manufacturing company, Thales LAS, which was later refurbished.

Hasina said that the government was going to procure some new aircraft aiming to facilitate district to district air communication with a view to improving tourism in the country.

‘We have already signed agreement with Airbus,’ she said.

She mentioned that the government would improve road, rail, water and air communications with modern technologies to ease the communication for trade, commerce and tourism.

State minister for civil aviation Md Mahbub Ali, parliamentary vice-minister for foreign affairs of Japan Masahiro Komura and civil aviation and tourism secretary Md Mokammel Hossain also spoke at the programme.

Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh chairman Air Vice Marshal Mafidur Rahman delivered the welcome address.

On her arrival of the terminal, she was received by State Minister for Civil Aviation Md Mahbub Ali.

A group of tiny tots welcomed her with traditional dance and Bangla songs.

The prime minister took picture with them.

Later, she visited different parts of the third terminal where Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh chairman Air Vice Marshal Mafidur Rahman briefed about various activities of the Third Terminal.

She took part in a dress rehearsal of passing the immigration through checking her luggage and she was given later boarding pass.

A documentary on the Third Terminal was also screened at the programme.

Later, the prime minister witnessed a colourful thematic dance.