[9] The airport has complete Wi-Fi Internet coverage and all the terminals of the airport have multiple First Class and Business Class executive lounges operated by Five Star hotels, such as Intercontinental Dhaka; Bangladeshi companies such as Eastern Bank Skylounge[10] or City Bank American Express Lounge;[11] as well as local and foreign airlines.

During the 1965 Indo-Pakistani war, the then abandoned airstrip was bombed by Indian Air Force, thinking it to be the Tejgaon Airport as the base.

[20] In 1966, a project was taken by the then Pakistan Government to construct a new airport, and the present site north of Kurmitola was selected.

[citation needed] After independence, the Government of Bangladesh restarted works abandoned by the previous contractors and consultants during the war.

[23] In December 1993, Biman Bangladesh Airlines launched a route to New York City via Delhi, Dubai and Amsterdam.

[citation needed] On 6 December 2011, a Boeing 787-9 (flight ZA006) stopped for refuelling at Shahjalal International Airport during a distance, speed, and endurance record attempt.

This aircraft, powered by General Electric GEnx engines, had flown 10,710 nautical miles (19,830 km) non-stop from Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington eastward to Shahjalal International Airport, setting a new world distance record for aircraft in the weight class of the 787, which is between 440,000 pounds (200,000 kg) and 550,000 pounds (250,000 kg).

This flight surpassed the previous distance record of 9,127 nautical miles (16,903 km), set in 2002 by an Airbus A330.

[30] In 1992, the airport terminal area experienced rapid expansion with addition of boarding bridges and equipment.

[citation needed] The airport has been set up and upgraded with technology and instruments worth ৳70 million (US$580,000) up to the second quarter of 2012, by the CAAB.

Asphalt runway overlay began in December 2012 by the Bangladeshi company Abdul Monem Ltd;[31] it took six months to complete.

Further improvements in the taxiway and runway lighting system will be made by funds from Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) worth ৳4.5 billion (US$37 million).

[8] In recent years, CAAB has completed modernisation and beautification of the two terminal buildings, constructed five aircraft parking bays, installed two more boarding bridges, re-installed a power plant to ensure 24 hours power supply, and added more passenger check-in and immigration counters and baggage conveyor belts.

In October 2021, the CAAB entered into an agreement with the French company Thales LAS to construct a new advanced radar system at the airport.

Valued at ৳730.13 crore (US$60 million), this system will replace the decades-old existing radar, which lacks the capability to detect all aircraft flying over Bangladesh's airspace, particularly those over the Bay of Bengal.

The project aimed at achieving full surveillance of the entire airspace of the country is scheduled to be fully operational by mid-2024.

[33] On 28 December 2019, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina laid the foundation stone of the third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

[8] The project was undertaken to cope with rising air traffic, to take pressure off the lone runway, and to double the capacity of the airport.

[41] In July 2023, CAAB submitted its report to Ministry of Civil Aviation about the possibility of constructing a second dependent runway in the airport due to space constraints.

[45][46] However, due to delays in decision making regarding issues like logistics, ground handling, training, system calibration etc., Terminal 3 is expected to enter into operation mid 2025, by June or July.

[49] ^1 : Biman Bangladesh Airlines's flight from Dhaka to Toronto and vice versa makes a technical stop at Istanbul for refueling and crew change.