Construction of new airport picks up pace
ISLAMABAD, March 15: The Rs50 billion New Benazir International Airport at Fatehjang is being constructed on a fast track and will become functional by 2013.
The airport will accommodate 25 million passengers a year equal to the number of passengers currently being handled at Dubai airport.
A visit to the site of the under-construction airport showed that one of the two runways had been completed while other segments were being constructed by both local and foreign firms.
“More than 23 per cent work has been done and we are hopeful that the entire project will be completed within the scheduled time,” said Sumair Saeed, the general manager (E&M) of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) working at the site.
Earth-moving machines were seen everywhere while cutting, digging, levelling and compaction of vast land also continued at the site in the west of Islamabad, some 30 km from Zero Point.
The need for the new state-of-the art airport for Islamabad, equipped with all modern facilities, was felt for quite some time as the existing one has become unable to meet the growing passenger and cargo load.
“It will be the biggest airport of the country with a capacity to accommodate more than 25 million passengers a year,” said the CAA official. The existing Benazir Bhutto Airport has the minimum capacity of 3.5 passengers per year.
With two runways initially, the airport will cater to 6.5 million passengers in a year and with the completion of the third one, in the second phase, the overall capacity will increase to over 25 million passengers.
The official said the new airport would be the first in the country that would facilitate operation of A-380 flight, currently the biggest passenger plane.
“Initially, 29 planes can be parked simultaneously at the airport but the capacity will be increased to 100 planes with the completion of the third runway,” the CAA general manager said.
The distance between the site and Zero Point in capital is about 35 km but it will be reduced to 15 km after Kashmir Highway, which is being widened under a separate project by CDA, is connected with the motorway that leads to the new airport.
The airport project is being executed by different firms as a joint venture of an Irish company – Legon Technical Associates. Habib Engineering is constructing the runways, the airfield lighting system is being installed by Siemens Pakistan, while a local firm Al Tariq is laying hydrant fuelling system.
A joint venture of a Chinese firm Xijiangveixn and Gammon Pakistan is constructing operation buildings; the roadside telecommunication network is being laid by Electronic Services of Pakistan while the main terminal building is being constructed by another Chinese firm.
Under the directive of the prime minister, the National Highway Authority (NHA) has to construct roads in and around the airport; gas will be provided by the SNGPL, water by Punjab Housing and Engineering Department through Shahpur Dam and electricity will be supplied by Iesco.
However, in a briefing to President Asif Ali Zardari on the project last week, it was stated that Iesco was unable to provide the required power to the new airport. As a result, the CAA was asked to look into different options to have its own electricity for the airport.
Responding to a query, the official said the project was being funded through CAA resources and not a single penny had been sought from the federal government.
