Pakistan
delays opening of New Gwadar International Airport (NGIA)
Pakistan has delayed the opening of
the nearly $250 million China-funded New Gwadar International Airport (NGIA), according
to a report by Nikkei Asia.
The airport's inauguration,
originally scheduled for August 14—Pakistan's Independence Day—was delayed
following mass protests earlier this month in Gwadar, the city where the
airport is located.
Read More New
Gwadar International Airport opening postponed by an additional six months
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was
expected to attend the opening of the NGIA, which is strategically located near
the Gwadar port, a key element of the $50 billion China-Pakistan Economic
Corridor (CPEC). Despite the completion of all necessary preparations, no new
date has been announced for the launch of the $246 million project, which began
after a grant agreement with Beijing in 2015.
This delay is not the first; the
airport's opening was also postponed last year due to security concerns. The
single-runway airport, situated 45 kilometers from the Chinese-controlled
Gwadar port, covers 4,300 acres and is capable of accommodating large aircraft
like the Airbus A380, making it Pakistan’s largest airport by size, surpassing
the airport in Islamabad.
Read More China
playing a crucial role in construction of Gwadar International Airport
However, Gwadar’s development as a
major hub has been sluggish, with only three weekly flights to a smaller nearby
airport in Karachi.
Source:
Nikkei Asia