New Gwadar International Airport
was conceived in 2014 as an early harvest, high priority project of the 56
billion USD CPEC (China Pakistan Economic Corridor) which is part of China's
BRI (Belt and Road Initiative). It was approved by ECNEC (Executive Committee
of National Economic Council) in January 2015. The project was funded through a
Chinese grant and the agreement was signed in May 2017. Soil testing on the
project site was started in January 2018 and involved drilling of 300 boreholes
at various locations. The groundbreaking ceremony was held in March 2019, with
construction completed in August 2024. The airport is part of an overall
infrastructure development of Baluchistan.
The airport is expected to
stimulate the development in Gwadar peninsula and boost trade between Pakistan
and China. It is the second green field airport of the country after Islamabad
International Airport with all modern facilities for safe operations. The
airport is located 26 km east of Gwadar in the Gurandani area, just off the
Makran Coastal Highway. The Airport is capable of handling narrow body aircraft
such as ATR, Airbus A320 and Boeing B737, as well as wide body aircraft such as
Airbus A380 and Boeing B747. The airport presently has a single runway with
provision for future second runway at a distance of 760 meter to the north. The
present runway 25/07 has a length of 3,658 meter and width of 75 meter
including paved shoulders, while the link taxiway is 23 meter wide with 10.5
meter paved shoulders on both sides. The terminal building has a floor area of
14,000m2 and features modern facilities for passenger comfort and convenience.
The cargo terminal has an initial handling capacity of 30,000 tons per year. A
modern ATC (Air Traffic Control) complex, FCR (Fire, Crash and Rescue)
building, Fuel farm and other associated buildings are part of this airport.
Gwadar airport is the biggest airport of Pakistan by land area and is built
across 4,300 acres. In comparison, the land area of Karachi airport is 3,700
acres, Islamabad airport 3,600 acres and Lahore airport 2,800 acres. The
airport will be operated as a joint venture between Pakistan, China and Oman
and will be operated under open sky policy. The airport will not only benefit
the country but will also provide the landlocked countries of central Asia
access to international markets through a combination of air, sea and land
routes. The airport is testament to China Pakistan friendship that is "higher
than Himalayas, deeper than ocean, sweeter than honey and stronger than steel.
On the occasion of Inauguration of Gwadar International Airport, a Commemorative Postage Stamp of Rs. 30/- denomination and Souvenir Sheet (Value of Rs. 100/-) are being issued by Pakistan Post on 20th January, 2025.
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