New Islamabad Airport can handle about nine million passengers annually: CAA DG

Director General Civil Aviation Authority has said that New Islamabad International Airport (NIIA) can handle about nine million passengers per year as compared to three million passengers facilitated by old Benazir Bhutto International Airport.
While briefing the members of Public Accounts Committee (PAC), who under the chairmanship of Chairman PAC Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah visited the newly constructed airport to check the facilities and other developmental works, the aviation officials informed that 5,000 seats are installed on new airport as compared to 1,400 on the old one. The aviation officials said that Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will formally inaugurate the airport on April 20, while Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has conducted successful test flight on the airport a week ago.
Shah on the occasion once again asked the government to name the New Islamabad Airport after late Pakistan Peoples Party leader Benazir Bhutto. He said that a number of facilities are still missing on the airport and the government must provide these facilities before formally making the airport operational.
The PAC chairman also expressed serious concern over non-availability of restaurant, turning of airport taxiway into runway. He asked the Aviation Division to stop using taxiway as airport runway as it can cause serious damage to lives and property.
While briefing the panel members, the officials of Aviation Division and PIA said that the new airport has capacity to accommodate nine million air passengers per annum as compared to the old Islamabad Airport which could handle a maximum three million passengers per year.
The government on past Saturday successfully conducted a mock exercise involving landing a passenger plane at the New Islamabad International Airport. The airport will be inaugurated formally on April 20 for regular international and domestic flights. The operation of the old Benazir Bhutto International Airport will be transferred to the new airport between April 19 and April 20.
The "Y" shaped new airport is spread over 19 square kilometers with 15 jetties (passenger boarding bridges), including facilities to accommodate two double-decker Airbus A380s, the world's largest airplane, 15 remote bays and seven remote bays for small aircraft such as ATRs