New Islamabad Int'l Airport: First airport to support landing of biggest aircraft, Airbus A-380

ISLAMABAD: The first-ever green-field airport, the under construction `New Islamabad International Airport' (NIIA) having a capacity to support landing and parking of Airbus A-380, the biggest passenger aircraft of the world, is being equipped with cutting-edge technologies and state-of-the-art facilities for passengers to meet the 21st century challenges.

Situated near Fateh Jang, the airport is at 20 km distance from the center of the capital, 23 km from Rawalpindi, and just a few kilometers from the Islamabad interchange on M1/M2 motorways.

The much delayed mega project, having an area of 3,289 acres, is being built to replace the existing Benazir Bhutto International Airport, and has got a deadline of October 2016, for its completion.

Talking to APP, Project Director, Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), NIIA, Brigadier Pervez H. Niazi (R), said the inordinate delay occurred in the completion of the project due to land acquisition process, frequently changing directors, cancellation and revival of contracts with international companies, lack of easy access road for shifting heavy machinery and absence of water and electricity resources in the area. He, however, said the Rama dam would start working this month to meet the water needs.

Joint Director (Public Relations), CAA, Fariha Tahir Shah said, "The latest landing system will allow planes to land in harsh weather and dense fog. With the help of Islamabad Electric Supply Company (Iesco), the NIIA has established its own grid station for power supply."

The airport consists of 90 check-in counters and a parking facility for 2,000 vehicles, car parking for 22,000 vehicles, a covered plaza area for 200 cars, a control tower, maintenance hangar, a 15-gate terminal with ten remote gates, a four star hotel, convention centre, duty-free shops, food court, two-runways, six-taxiways, five-aprons, 15 passenger boarding bridges, runway lightening system CATE-III, 150KMT cargo handling facility, and 42 immigration counters.

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

Fariha said the airport would create massive job opportunities and other commercial activities in the area. The purpose of the airport was to increase load sharing of international airlines, traffic flow towards Pakistan, and import, export, business, tourism, and cargo operation, she added.

The Project Director said the airport would be at a distance of 30 minutes drive from the Zero Point after linking it with a straight road from the Kashmir Highway.

He said the location of the airport was ideal as international airports worldwide were built at 30-40 km distance from the main cities for safety reasons and other adequate facilities. The new airport was located at the route of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the ring road would further link it with different parts of the twin cities, he added.

The Spokesperson said 85 percent of the work was completed, adding that the new airport had also introduced the highest baggage security system in the country - five levels of security screening process for luggage.

Pervez H. Niazi said the new airport would get operational after two- to-three months of its completion. He said that no compromise was made as for as the quality of work and the use of technology, equipments and machinery was concerned. The housing societies working in the surrounding areas were issued No Objection Certificate (NOC) by the CAA, however, it was the government which has to regulate and enforce construction related for these societies.

The Project Director also urged the authority concerned to connect the airport with a mini railway track, adding that it is ideal time to acquire land for the track.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, Sheikh Aftab Ahmed informed the National Assembly on July 29 that the National Highway Authority (NHA) has initiated work to build the Kashmir Highway link road, the shortest and hassle-free access to NIIA, as the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had approved this most cost-effective, straight and trouble-free link road, rejecting the zigzag and expensive routes.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Official Spokesman said that more than 10,000 plants had been planted in the airport to make the atmosphere healthy and green. The plants were donated by various organization including CDA, Ufone, Sukh Chain etc here.

She urged other such organizations to contribute in the plantation drive of the new airport for becoming part of it.