Airport ground handling must be left to efficient providers
We are surprised that Biman has been awarded the ground handling responsibility for the third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA), despite having a very poor track record. According to a report by this daily, Biman is set to take charge for two years initially, overseeing tasks such as boarding passengers, managing baggage, handling cargo, and providing various aircraft services. However, given its history of subpar service, we have serious doubts about its ability to handle this crucial task. Naturally, the decision has raised concerns among aviation experts and other stakeholders.
Over the past years, Biman has consistently failed to satisfy passengers, with many experiencing significant delays in luggage handling while instances of staff misconduct, particularly towards migrant workers, were also commonplace. Additionally, Biman's inefficient ground handling has often disrupted overseas trade, while the two currently operational terminals have struggled to cope with the pressure of increasing export and import volumes. So, the main purpose of building a new terminal was to solve all these issues by improving the airport's efficiency and ground handling services. Therefore, we think this decision by the government is contradictory to this whole effort.
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Internationally, no airport reportedly relies on a single ground handling provider. So why has the government made such a decision? Has it consulted all relevant stakeholders before taking such action? If not, why? According to experts, Biman does not even have necessary, trained manpower to operate the terminal. Moreover, a survey by the HSIA authorities revealed that 93 airlines favoured having multiple ground handling service providers at the new terminal, which would foster competition and improve services. We also must mention that it is this kind of monopoly that has emboldened our state carrier to engage in widespread corruption and irregularities over the decades.
The decision to award Biman this job was ill-considered, so we urge the government to reconsider it. If we want the quality of ground handling services at the third terminal to be world-class, the job should be awarded through an open competition involving multiple service providers. Although Biman is supposed to take this charge for two years, we think this period could further damage the airport's reputation.
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