“The New Gwadar Airport will indeed mark the dawn of prosperity and employment in the region,” said Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif recently, while announcing the construction of an international standard airport planned with modern facilities by China. He described it as an embodiment of Pakistan-China friendship, which thanked the country for building such an airport recently. The Prime Minister further instructed the authorities concerned to devise a plan to fully equip the new airport as a lively transit point and develop the road network connecting the airport with the rest of the country, especially Balochistan.
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The New Gwadar International Airport, which will be the largest in Pakistan in terms of area, can handle A-380 aircraft and will be able to accommodate 4 million passengers per annum. Operations of flights from Gwadar to Muscat will begin on January 10, 2025. Percutaneous talks are also in the pipeline for domestic and international flights by airlines from Pakistan, China, Oman, and other Middle Eastern Nations. The Prime Minister urged that there be very strict security arrangements at the airport for the smooth conduct of its operations.
The meeting was attended by key officials of the Defence and Aviation, Law and Justice, and Economic Affairs Division ministries. The construction of the first phase of the East-Bay Expressway, which provides connectivity with the airport, is complete, while the feasibility studies of the second phase are underway to continue development in this regard.