The government is making swift progress towards inauguration of the third terminal at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, with the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism closely monitoring the development.
Commerce Adviser Sk Bashir Uddin shared this update during a meeting with UK Trade Envoy to Bangladesh Baroness Winterton in Dhaka on Thursday.
“The construction work is advancing rapidly, and the process of appointing an operator for ground handling services at the terminal is also moving forward,” he said.
Alongside discussions on the terminal project, the meeting also explored ways to deepen trade, investment, and economic cooperation between Bangladesh and the United Kingdom. Bangladesh’s upcoming graduation from Least Developed Country (LDC) status was also a key topic.
Highlighting the significance of this transition, Bashir said, “Graduating from LDC is a remarkable achievement for our economy. It opens up new opportunities but also brings new challenges. We hope to receive strong support from the UK to navigate this journey successfully.”
In response, Baroness Winterton reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to supporting Bangladesh, noting that under the UK Trade Benefits Programme, Bangladeshi products will continue to receive duty-free access to the UK market until 2029.
This, she said, will help the country maintain its competitive edge during the post-LDC transition period. She also stressed the importance of strengthening bilateral economic ties and expressed optimism about exploring new opportunities for joint growth and cooperation between the two nations.
Also present at the meeting were British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Sarah Cooke and Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Md Abdur Rahim Khan.
