Pakistan's Gwadar Airport to open its doors by month-end

The New Gwadar International Airport in Balochistan is set to open its doors to travellers by the end of this month, the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) announced on Friday.

The PAA spokesperson confirmed that the preparations for the airport’s operations were in their final stages and will hopefully be completed by the month-end.

Recently, PAA’s Acting Director General Zeeshan Saeed, along with deputy director general of airports Sadiq Rehman visited the site to assess its readiness. Project Director Faizullah Khattak briefed the officials on the operational readiness of the facility.

During the visit, the project team also briefed the airport stakeholders on available business opportunities and the economic zones attached with the project. The acting director general expressed satisfaction with the progress of the preparations.

The state-of-the-art airport, built with modern facilities, has cost $246 million, including a grant from China. Equipped with a large runway and advanced terminal building, it is capable of accommodating all types of large aircraft.

The airport is expected to significantly boost trade and economic development in the region, positioning Gwadar as a key hub for commerce and connectivity, officials said.

The project has encountered delays for a variety of reasons. However, China has been pushing Pakistani authorities to complete the facility without any delay so that the airport becomes operational sooner than later.

In a separate development, the Supreme Court (SC) withdrew its earlier order halting the privatisation of the national carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), clearing the way for the government to proceed with the process.

The Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court, led by Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan, issued the instructions, effectively closing the case. The court had previously stayed the privatisation of PIA, but the fresh ruling removes the block and allows the process to continue.

The Additional Attorney General informed the bench that the government had received approval to hire new professionals for PIA, and while the privatization process was delayed, the airline’s flight operations were no longer restricted.

Justice Khan noted that the government might receive better rates now for the privatization of PIA, but emphasized that the process must be carried out transparently.