Muhammad Omar
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PHOTO: IQBAL HAIDER/EXPRESS
PESHAWAR:
As more passengers board flights at Bacha Khan International Airport, Civil Aviation Authority officials have decided to expand the rather threadbare airport. The decision has been made following the approval of the federal government.
“We had been demanding it for so long; finally the federal government has realised our problems and has approved the expansion,” a CAA official, requesting anonymity, told The Express Tribune on Saturday. “A sum of Rs2 billion has been approved and work will start this month.”
New and improved
Both domestic and international lounges will be expanded. The car park will also be extended to accommodate more than double the current number of vehicles that can be parked at BKIA. The official added construction will be completed within a year.
“As per the new design, the domestic lounge will be merged into the international lounge.” He said a separate space would be constructed near the cargo building for a new domestic lounge.
When contacted, BKIA Manager Tahir Sikandar confirmed the development. Highlighting the scope of the project, he said, the current car park can accommodate 300 vehicles. The lot, he added was crammed with vehicles, especially during Hajj days. “With the expansion of the car park, 800 vehicles would be easily accommodated.”
Speaking about the duration in which the construction would be completed, Sikandar estimated the international lounge will be complete within six months whereas the domestic lounge will be complete within 9 months. “The timeframe for all the work to be finished is around 18 months but hopefully it will be completed earlier.”
The airport manager added BKIA is the only functional airport in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa which receives a large number of passengers travelling to and out of the country. “It [the expansion project] was a longstanding issue but the federal government has finally approved it.” Sikandar said the renovated facility will have escalators and more counters.
“Passenger planes land from both sides on the runway as the expansion of the landing strip or the construction of another one is not possible due to shortage of space,” he said. “However, after the expansion of the airport almost all the facilities will be doubled.”
Overburdened
The CAA operates over 35 flights, including four domestic, on a daily basis. “Passengers from across the province, Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Provincially Administered Tribal Areas use the airport to fly in and out of the country,” said another CAA official. “A majority of these passengers are seen off by their relatives at the airport.”
He added, “One passenger is normally accompanied by two or three relatives, which is why the authority has been demanding a bigger airport.”
Prior to these developments, on August 31, Federal Ombudsman Salman Farooqi inaugurated a facilitation desk at BKIA for the convenience of overseas Pakistanis. Representatives of 12 different agencies, including customs and health departments, Anti-Narcotics Force, Airports Security Force, CAA, Federal Investigation Agency and
others are present at the counter and are accessible to overseas Pakistanis.
