State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism M Rashiduzzaman Millat said that the government aims to ensure passengers receive their luggage by the time they complete immigration, pledging swift reforms to ease expatriates’ airport sufferings.

Speaking to journalists on Wednesday at the Secretariat on his first working day after the formation of the new government, the state minister said comprehensive planning has already begun to overhaul airport services, including ticketing and baggage handling.

“It is not just about ticketing. The Chairman of Civil Aviation and the Secretary are with us. We want to reorganize the airport system so that expatriate passengers no longer suffer—from ticketing syndicates to baggage handling complexities,” he said.

Millat said discussions have already been held with the Civil Aviation authorities and a concrete plan has been formulated to address prolonged luggage delays and curb corruption.

“Our goal is to ensure expatriates do not have to wait one to two hours for their luggage or become victims of corruption. The plan is that a passenger should find their baggage on the belt by the time they finish immigration,” he said, adding that coordinated measures with Civil Aviation would bring a noticeable transformation in passenger experience.

Highlighting irregularities in ticketing, he said syndicates must be dismantled to ensure transparency and fair access.

“In many cases, flights depart with empty seats while passengers fail to secure tickets. Syndicates are behind such anomalies. We have just assumed responsibility, but we are fully aware of the challenges and have prepared plans to resolve them,” he said.

The state minister expressed optimism that gradual yet significant improvements would be visible soon.

“Though not radical overnight, people will witness meaningful changes step by step. We hope that within the next one to two weeks, passengers will begin to sense the transformation,” he added.

Replying to a question on alleged corruption over the past 15 years, Millat said investigations would be conducted wherever irregularities are found.

“Definitely, if there is corruption, there will be investigations. Many are already in jail on corruption charges. The sector is not yet entirely corruption-free, and we are committed to addressing that,” he said.

He said meetings with the Secretary and other relevant stakeholders would be held soon to chart out reform measures, adding that the government also has long-term, strategic plans for the tourism sector.