Air Vice Marshal M Mofidur Rahman, chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) said that if any drug is found in the possession of a passenger going abroad or arriving at the airport, his travel would be banned forever.
The CAAB chairman made the statement at a public hearing on the complaints of passengers at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Monday.
“An increase in drug trafficking is being observed at various airports. This has to be prevented through joint efforts. We are taking action, no one will be exempted. If anyone is found with drugs, they will be banned forever from going abroad,” he said.
Read more: Drug trader woman starts new life
Addressing the passengers, he said that they should not take anything from anyone other than their own luggage.
“We have been seeing that drugs are being found in the luggage of many people. Many passengers claim that their relatives have put drugs in their bags in the name of sending goods. We will not accept such statements. You have to be careful so that no one suffers,” he said.
Urging passengers to arrive at the airport ahead of schedule, the CAAB chairman said that passengers should arrive at the airport at least eight hours before the flight so that all the activities including corona test can be completed.
M Mofidur Rahman said that the problems that were brought up in the previous two public hearings have been resolved.
“There were many complaints about the travel agencies. The concerned authority has been informed. We are also serious about airport security. We have been recognized internationally for airport management. We are trying to enhance the quality of passenger service further,” he added.
Responding to the complaints of passengers, the chairman said, “We have recently identified problems of outbound passengers regarding hygiene and health issues, airline issues, travel agency fraud, the complexity of renewing tickets despite being on time, and not arriving at the airport on time. We will discuss these issues with the concerned authorities.”
Representatives of various airlines, including Group Captain AHM Touhid-ul Ahsan, Executive Director of HSIA airport, were present during the public hearing.
