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Islamabad International Airport

Coordinates: 33°33′38.57″N 72°51′5.81″E / 33.5607139°N 72.8516139°E / 33.5607139; 72.8516139
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New Islamabad International Airport

نیو اسلام آباد بین الاقوامی ہوائی اڈا
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerGovernment of Pakistan
OperatorCivil Aviation Authority of Pakistan
ServesIslamabad-Rawalpindi metropolitan
LocationFateh Jang, Punjab, Pakistan
Elevation AMSL1,899 ft / 579 m
Coordinates33°33′38.57″N 72°51′5.81″E / 33.5607139°N 72.8516139°E / 33.5607139; 72.8516139
Websitehttp://www.islamabadairport.com.pk/
Map
ISB is located in Pakistan
ISB
ISB
Location of airport Near Islamabad
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
28L/10R 4,000 13,123 Asphalt
28R/10L 4,000 13,123 Asphalt
Statistics
Passengers Capacity10 million (first phase)
CostRs. 81.17 billion (US$280 million)[1]

New Islamabad International Airport (Template:Lang-ur) is an under construction international airport located in Fateh Jang, Attock District planned to serve the Islamabad Rawalpindi metropolitan area.[2][3] The airport is likely to open for commercial flights in August 2017.[4]

The airport project was conceived initially in 1984 for which the acquisition of land in Attock started the same year. Build around 20 km west of the twin cities, it is being built to replace the existing Benazir Bhutto International Airport which doesn't have the capacity to handle air traffic. After repeated delays, the project is expected to be become operational by mid-2017.[5][6] The airport is connected to Islamabad via the Kashmir Highway and Rawalpindi via the GT Road. A 26 km six lane highway is under-construction to further expand the connectivity of the airport.[7] The Rawalpindi-Islamabad Metrobus is planned to be expanded to connect the Islamabad with the metropolitan area.[8]

Once completed it will be the first greenfield airport in Pakistan and the first to support the landing of Airbus A380. Build on an area of 3,289 acres, the project consists of 90 check-in counters and a parking facility for 2,000 vehicles and will cater to upward of 10 million people every year in its first phase and up to 25 million in the second phase. The terminal includes 15 gates with ten remote gates, a four-star hotel, duty-free shops, two runways, six taxiways, food court and 42 immigration counters.[9][10]

History

The plan to construct a new airport for Islamabad was conceived in the late 1980s to deal with the problem of increased passenger load at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport. The current annual turnover of passengers at the current airport is about 3.5 million. It was estimated that the number of passengers at the airport is growing by 14 per cent annually compared to national air passenger growth rate of less than four per cent, making it the third busiest airport in the country.

Therefore, a site in Attock district was selected as the site for the construction of a new airport just a few kilometers from the Islamabad interchange on M1/M2 motorways. However the project couldn't be started and was repeatedly postponed till 2005. The plan to construct a new airport was announced on 7 January 2005 by Civil Aviation Authority. The foundation stone of the project was laid by former President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on 7 April 2007. In 2011 Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani announced that a new airport will be constructed in the territory of Islamabad naming it the International Rawal Airport. The design for that airport was ready and the initial construction was started but however was stopped due to the suspension of the designated Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani. After taking seat Nawaz Sharif has announced that the work on Rawal Airport will be started again in 2016 and will be fully functional till the end of his 5-year government.

The CAA asked a team of British architects to design the new airport. The airport is the first-ever green-field airport in Pakistan and would be built at a cost of $300 million. CAA signed an agreement with Louis Berger Group of USA in association with Pakistani consulting firm GT AASR, to undertake project management services. It is anticipated that the new facility will become operational by June 2017.[11] This airport will be the largest and most modern in Pakistan upon completion.

Project details

File:New Islamabad International Airport Design.jpg
An artist impression of New Islamabad International Airport Design

It is a joint project of Capital Development Authority (CDA), National Highway Authority (NHA) and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and designed by French company Aéroports de Paris Ingenierie (ADPi) and CPG Corporation of Singapore. It is being built on more than 3200 acres of land and consists of a passenger terminal building, 2 runways (28L/10R, 28R/10L), taxiways, apron and parking bays for wide body aircraft. There will also be a cargo terminal, air traffic control complex, fuel farm, as well as a fire, crash and rescue facility. It would be equipped to handle all types of aircraft including the new generation aircraft such as the Airbus A380, Boeing 747-8 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The construction site of the airport is near the Rawalpindi-Fateh Jang Road near Fateh Jang, some 20 km from Zero Point, Islamabad and 23 km from Saddar, Rawalpindi.[12] The airport is being developed to be at par with international standards to serve as major hub for all aviation activities in Pakistan.

The airport will have a 180,000m² modular terminal building which will initially be able to handle 9 million passengers and 80,000 metric tonnes cargo per annum. The numbers are expected to reach 15 million passengers by 2019 and increase to 25 million passengers by 2024.[13] Being a new airport, a significant portion of the land has been earmarked for commercial purposes such as duty-free shops, hotel and convention centre, air malls, business centre, food courts, leisure and recreational facilities.

The naming of the airport has been controversial due to political considerations. The CAA announced its intention to name the airport Gandhara International Airport after the ancient Buddhist kingdom of Gandhara.[14] The project was worked out through three levels: concept designing, primary and final designing.[15]

See also

References

  1. ^ "No end in sight for new Islamabad airport". Qamar Zaman. The Express Tribune. 17 March 2016. Retrieved 22 March 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  2. ^ "New islamabad airport: Meinhardt says it is not part of project - The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 19 May 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  3. ^ "Islamabad airport to be completed by year-end, Senate told - The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 10 May 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  4. ^ "Islamabad International Airport gets another deadline - The Express Tribune". 2 September 2016. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  5. ^ "New Islamabad airport to be operational by July 2017, PAC told". Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  6. ^ "New Islamabad airport: The airport to nowhere - The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 16 May 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  7. ^ Recorder, Business. "Road network for new Islamabad Airport: Dar approves Rs 11 billion project". Business Recorder. Retrieved 22 November 2016. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  8. ^ "New Islamabad airport to be operational by August 2017 - The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 22 November 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  9. ^ "New Islamabad airport: Rs3 billion allocated for road network - The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 19 June 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  10. ^ "New Islamabad airport: Rs3 billion allocated for road network". Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  11. ^ http://tribune.com.pk/story/57036/islamabad-airport-to-be-complete-by-2013-shuja/
  12. ^ [1], "The News", 14 April 2013.
  13. ^ [2]
  14. ^ New Islamabad airport to be named Ghandara, Daily Times, 18 June 2006.
  15. ^ CPG Consultants: Islamabad Airport Design Finalisation, 2007

Further reading

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