About the HSIA (DAC)

Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) is the primary international airport serving Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital city. It is also the country’s largest and busiest airport, handling over 6 million passengers and 150,000 tons of cargo each year. The airport is named after Hazrat Shah Jalal, a famous Sufi Muslim figure who was instrumental in spreading Islam in Bengal.

HSIA is located in Kurmitola, about 17 kilometers north of Dhaka’s central business district. It is 1,981 acres in size and has one runway (14/32) that is 3,505 meters long and 60 meters wide. Several modes of transportation connect the airport to the city, including buses, taxis, rickshaws, trains, and metro rail (under construction). There is also a railway station at the airport that serves intercity trains to other parts of Bangladesh.

During World War II, the airport was built as a British Royal Air Force base. After Bangladesh’s independence in 1971, it was converted into a civil airport and renamed Zia International Airport after President Ziaur Rahman. It was officially opened as an international airport in 1981, with a new terminal building and modern facilities. To honor the Sufi saint, it was renamed Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in 2010.

For several years, HSIA has faced capacity constraints and operational challenges as a result of Bangladesh’s rapid growth in air traffic. To address these concerns, the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) and the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism have launched a major expansion project for HSIA, including the construction of a third passenger terminal building (Terminal 3) and other related infrastructure.

The Terminal 3 project is one of Bangladesh’s most ambitious and significant development projects. It intends to more than double HSIA’s annual passenger handling capacity from eight to twenty million, as well as increase cargo capacity from 200,000 to 500,000 tonnes. In addition, the project intends to improve HSIA’s service quality, safety standards, environmental performance, and economic competitiveness.

General Information

ICAO ID: VGHS

IATA CODE: DAC

Latitude: 235036.05N

Longitude:0902352.02E

TWR FREQ: 118.3 MHz, 119.3 MHz

ACC FREQ: 125.7 MHz, 129.7 MHz

DVOR: 112.7 MHz

NDB: 298 KHz