New Gwadar International
Airport opening postponed by an additional six months
The inauguration of the new
Gwadar International Airport, a project developed by China as part of the
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, has faced yet another delay, extending the
anticipated opening date by six more months.
Chinese
president likely to inaugurate Pakistan’s Gwadar airport
Khaqan Murtaza, the
Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority, disclosed told a leading Urdu
newspaper that the previously scheduled opening of the new Gwadar Airport for
this month had been postponed due to technical reasons. He explained that
delays had occurred in the shipment and delivery of essential airport equipment
from China to Pakistan.
The cargo from China bound
for Gwadar via sea routes is expected to reach its destination later this
month. According to Murtaza, Chinese authorities have now set a new
inauguration date for the airport in March 2024. It is possible that further
delays may arise in the finalization of preparations required to make the new
Gwadar airport fully operational.
With
the operationalization of the airport, Gwadar is set to transform into an
economic hub
Situated 26 kilometers to
the north-east of the existing Gwadar airport, the new Gwadar International
Airport was allocated 3,000 acres of land by the government of Pakistan.
Similar to the new Islamabad Airport, it represents Pakistan's second
greenfield airport project.
Source: The News