Govt likely to okay construction of Gwadar Int’l Airport

[LahoreEstate]

By Ijaz Kakakhel

ISLAMABAD: The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) in its meeting on January 21 is likely to approve construction of new Gwadar International Airport (GIA) and allied facilities with initial cost of Rs 7.5 billion including Rs 1.312 billion as Foreign Exchange Component (FEC).

The scheme envisages construction of state of the art GIA, along with allied facilities over a piece of land already acquired measuring 4300 acres. The airport would be developed as a green-field airport and all major components of an airport would be developed as part of this project. The sources claimed that the NGIA would be the business gateway to Pakistan through the city of Gwadar. The government has already allocated Rs 750 million in the PSDP 2009-10 for its construction. Official sources claimed that the government attached high priority to the development of Gwadar Airport. They said that the new airport would be six times larger than the existing airport in Gwadar, which would be completed in three years after its initiation.

Master plan for the project, for which a PC-1 of Rs 7.5 billion has already been approved with an allocation of Rs 750 million in the current Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), has been finalized and the survey completed. The passenger terminal for Gwadar International Airport is perceived to facilitate 350,000 per year passenger traffic by 2020.

The Prime Minister at Gwadar was informed that Oman, which had already contributed $ 17.5 million for the project, is ready to provide another $ 100 million after beginning construction of the airport.

The revised scheme envisages acquisition of around 4,300 acres of land for construction of GIA at Gurandani, 26 km east of Gwadar City. Sources said that the terminal building has a capacity of handling Fokker flights only.

The construction of New Gwadar International Airport forms an integral part of the overall objective of the transport sector in providing easy and efficient access to the southern region of Balochistan. The new airport would augment the airport facilities in Pakistan and as an advantage of its construction; a network of roads and other essential infrastructure would be developed.

Gwadar, which is strategically located has an enormous trade potential, which could not only help alleviate poverty and boost the socio-economic uplift of Balochistan but can contribute in the national economy through transit trade.

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