Islamabad International Airport (Urdu: ????? ???? ??? ???????? ????? ????) is planned to become the main international airport serving the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. It is Pakistan's first greenfield airport and is built 20 km outside the twin cities near the Kashmir Highway and Motorway Interchange. During its construction the airport was referred as New Islamabad International Airport to distinguish itself from its predecessor Benazir Bhutto International Airport.
The airport is planned to commence operations on 3 May 2018, replacing the old Benazir Bhutto International Airport. It is the largest airport in Pakistan in terms of passenger capacity, capable of serving 15 million passengers every year in its first phase. Further planned expansions will allow it to serve up to 25 million passengers every year. The terminal includes 15 gates with ten remote gates, a four-star hotel, duty-free shops, food court and 42 immigration counters. Additionally, Civil Aviation Authority of Pakistan is acquiring 2,833 acres (11.46 sq km / 4.42 sq mi) of land to build a third runway at the airport. Furthermore, it is also the first airport in Pakistan capable of handling the Airbus A380 and is expected to become a major hub serving Northern Pakistan.
Video Islamabad International Airport
History
The plan to construct a new airport was announced in January 2005 by Civil Aviation Authority. A land of 3242 acres land was acquired at the cost of Rs 2.5 billion in November 2005 near Ranjha, Fateh Jang.
The construction of a new airport was planned in response to increasing air traffic and passenger load at the existing Benazir Bhutto International Airport. It was estimated that the number of passengers at the current airport is growing by 14 percent annually compared to national air passenger growth rate of less than four percent, making it the second 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. The foundation stone of the project was laid by former President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on 7 April 2007.
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 will be equipped to handle all types of aircraft including the new generation aircraft such as the Airbus A380, Boeing 747-8 and Airbus A350 XWB aircraft . The construction site of the airport is near the Rawalpindi-Fateh Jang Road near Fateh Jang, Attock, some 20 km from Zero Point, Islamabad and 23 km from Saddar, Rawalpindi. The airport is being developed to be at par with international standards to serve as a major hub for all aviation activities in Pakistan.
The CAA asked a team of British architects to design the new airport. CAA signed an agreement with Louis Berger Group of USA in association with Pakistani consulting firm GT AASR, to undertake project management services. This airport will be the largest and most modern in Pakistan upon completion. The ICAO code allotted for this airport is "OPIS" effective from 22 June 2017. On 20 February 2018, NOTAM was issued on the back of a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi. According to a NOTAM issued by CAA, New Islamabad International Airport (OPIS) is established and will be operational from 3 May 2018.
Maps Islamabad International Airport
Facilities
Islamabad International Airport has a 180,000m² modular terminal building which will initially be able to handle 9 million passengers and 80,000 metric tons cargo per annum. The numbers are expected to reach 25 million passengers by 2024. Being a new airport, a significant portion of the land has been earmarked for commercial purposes such as duty-free shops, hotel and convention center, air malls, business centre, food courts, leisure and recreational facilities.
Airlines and destinations
Note that all of these destinations are proposed and not yet served as the plans are to move all traffic from Benazir Bhutto to the new airport.
Passenger
*Notes: 1: Air China's flight from Islamabad to Beijing continues on to Karachi. However, Air China does not have eighth freedom rights to carry passengers solely from Islamabad to Karachi.
Cargo.
Ground transport
The airport is connected to Islamabad via the Kashmir Highway and Rawalpindi via the GT Road and the proposed Ring road. A four-lane highway is also under construction to serve cargo traffic. The Islamabad Metrobus is also being expanded to connect the airport.
See also
- List of airports in Pakistan
- Airlines of Pakistan
- Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority
- Shaheen Airport Services
- Transport in Pakistan
- New Islamabad Airport - Pictures, Map and Exact Location
References
Citations
Bibliography
Source of article : Wikipedia
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