Sialkot Airport to be operational in few months

[Abbas Ali]

SIALKOT, Feb 13 (APP): Sialkot International Airport (website: www.sial.com.pk), costing Rs 2 billion, will be operational by the middle of the current year, said the project’s chief executive Khawar Anwar Khawaja.

Talking to reporters here Monday he said the cargo terminal had been completed while brisk development work on the passenger terminal is in full swing.

Temporary arrangements are being made to accommodate passengers, because the completion of that terminal will take some time, he added.

Khawaja observed that according to a rough estimate over 10,000 business and other travellers from Sialkot would benefit from this mega project, apart from a large number of passengers from Gujrat, Narowal, Hafizabad, Mandi Bahauddin, Wazirabad, Jehlum and Mirpur (Azad Kashmir).

Regular functioning of the airport would not only accelerate the pace of trade and commerce activities but would also help enhance manifold our export volume, besides generating many employment opportunities, he added.

Khawaja said Sialkot International Airport, being developed on Build, Own and Operate (BOO) basis, would be a landmark not only in the history of this export-oriented city, but also in the country.

This mega project had a great significance because it was being totally financed by the private sector. The airport would also boast the country’s longest runway measuring 3.6 km, and would ample provide landing and take off facilities to big aircraft Boeing 747 and others even in bad weather.

Catering fully to the requirements of the ‘golden industrial triangle’ of Sialkot, Gujranwala and Gujrat districts, the airport would step up pace of socio-economic development of the region.

With the merging of dry port, the export processing zone (EPZ) and airport at Sialkot, the importance of the area would enhance further and substantially increase exports from the area, he added.

The airport is being developed over 1004 acres land, about 13 km west of Sialkot, has ample space for airlines offices, aircraft catering units, ground handling services, cargo warehouses, restaurants and car parking etc.

In the absence of the airport, the exporters of Sialkot are confronted with multifarious problems as the air cargo from the area is sent via Lahore and Islamabad airports.

According to a rough estimate 60 percent of aircraft movement will be for domestic carriers while 40 percent will be for international carriers. The potential traffic forecast for Sialkot international airport at the time of opening is 472,000 passengers a year, while the estimated cargo tonnage is expected to be 24,000 tons. This means that by the end of year 2012 about 53,000 tones of cargo will be lifted from Sialkot International Airport.

Source: Associated Press of Pakistan

[PK777]

Good to hear, need some photos of the finished project....

Also, what type of passenger aircrafts can operate there ? If the B747 is the largest cargo aircraft that can be serviced there.

[flyingsystem]

ATC Tower


Runway


cargo terminal

source: http://www.sial.com.pk/index.htm (date : june2005)

[AirBlue]

for now this is like the latest greenfield airport of pakistan. the next will be the new ISB airport. Which was the last greenfield airport made in pakistan?

[Amaad Lone]

Any idea if PIA has drawn up plans to link Sialkot with other cities in its network.

I would imagine that a daily 737 Karachi-Sialkot flight would be a good start.

[flyingsystem]

I think it's perhaps for this kind of routes PIA is looking for regional turboprop (ATR-72)??

[B777240ER]

It would be a good idea to start the KHI-SKT route with a ATR-72 but a B733 will be better as it can hold more cargo. If the demand for cargo is higher then an A310 could be used as well.