|
New Gwadar International Airport
The New Gwadar International Airport (NGIA) is an airport in Gwadar, Pakistan.[1] It is the largest airport in Pakistan by area,[2] occupying 4,300 acres (17 km2) of land, and is located in Gurandani, 26 km north-east of the existing airport in Gwadar on the south-western Arabian Sea coast of Balochistan Province. NGIA is expected to cost $246 million. It is mainly funded by China as a grant and was formally inaugurated on 14 October 2024 by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Premier of China Li Qiang. The airport is scheduled to replace the Gwadar International Airport. With a runway spanning 3,658 meters in length and 45 meters in width, NGIA is capable of accommodating the Airbus A380 and Boeing 747-8.[2][3][4] The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) is responsible for overseeing its management and operation, and its ownership will be shared among a collaborative effort involving Pakistan, Oman, and China. This airport is designed to facilitate both domestic and international flights.[5] HistoryThe airport project was launched as a swiftly achievable, high-priority initiative within the CPEC programme in 2014.[6] Former PM Imran Khan had laid the foundation of NGIA on 29 March 2019.[7][8] This greenfield airport will include a modern terminal building alongside a cargo terminal, with refrigeration facilities for perishable items, with an initial handling capacity of 30,000 tonnes a year. NGIA will have the capacity to accommodate wide-body aircraft including Airbus A380 and Boeing 747-8 and narrow-body aircraft such as ATR-72 and Boeing 737-900ER.[9][10][11] On 1 August 2023, the National Assembly of Pakistan adopted a resolution to change the name of the New Gwadar International Airport to honor Feroz Khan Noon. The initiative was put forth by Aliya Kamran, Rana Qasim Noon, and Sabir Hussain Qaimkhani during the assembly session. Additionally, the assembly approved another resolution urging the government to rename the Gwadar International Airport in tribute to Feroz Khan Noon. This decision was rooted in recognising his instrumental role in securing Gwadar for Pakistan through an agreement with the Sultanate of Oman during his tenure as Prime Minister.[12] The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority awarded the design to build contract of the new airport to the China Communications Construction Company (CCC).[13] The airport was opened on 14 October 2024 in a ceremony led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chinese Premier Li Qiang.[14] The opening was however initially planned for 14 August 2024, to coincide with the Pakistani Independence Day celebrations, but was delayed due to protests organized by the BYC.[15] The airport's first international flight took place on 10 January 2025, with a flight to Muscat, the capital of Oman.[16] The initial plan for the flight was to happen on 1 January 2025, but was delayed because of BLA activity.[15] RunwayThe airport has a single runway with 3,658 metres of length and a width of 75 metres that will have the capacity to accommodate wide-bodied aircraft. There will be a taxiway of 23 metres length alongside a 10.5 metre paved shoulders for both sides.[17] The airport has the capacity to build a second runway to the north of the first runway. An Air Traffic Control (ATC) Tower, crash, fire and rescue facilities will be built as well as a fuel farm. NGIA's runway is Runway 07/25. Max Capacity it can accommodate: Airbus A380 ConstructionThe New Gwadar International Airport will be constructed at a cost of Rs55.4 billion, funded mainly (67%) as a grant by China with also participation from Pakistan and Oman.[18] Airlines and destinations
References
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
