Islamabad International Airport to be inaugurated in December 2017 instead of August

ISLAMABAD - The New Islamabad International Airport that was set to be inaugurated on August 14 will now be open in December, it emerged on Tuesday.

The delay was revealed in a Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat which met with Talha Mehmood in the chair citing incomplete link road.

Talking to newsmen after being briefed by the NHA authorities, the committee chairman said that 97 percent of the work on the new airport has been completed while gas, electricity and water issues have been resolved.

'But due to flawed planning by NHA, link roads are still not completed and now the airport would be inaugurated in December 2017', disclosed Talha Mehmood.

The Senator maintained that the new Islamabad International Airport project was initiated in 2007 with an estimated cost of Rs. 32 billion, but due to flawed planning, it was delayed repeatedly and now the cost stood at Rs82 billion.

He further said that NHA has now given a commitment to complete link roads by November 2017.

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Earlier Secretary Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and Director General Pakistan CAA Air Marshal Asim Suleman informed the committee about progress on Islamabad International Airport and Gawadar Airport.

"Airside has been completed by 99 percent, terminal buildings are completed by 96 percent while land projects are completed by 99 percent," they said and added that overall, completion of 97 percent of the project has been achieved.

The committee also reviewed the Gawadar Airport. It was briefed that China will complete Gawadar port as part of the multi-billion dollars China Pakistan Economic Corridor.

The standing committee meeting was attended by senators including Kamil Ali Agha, Kalsoom Parveen, Shahi Syed, Haji Saif Ullah Khan Bangesh, Hidayat Ullah, Secretary Aviation Division, Director General Aviation Division, Deputy COmmissioner Attock, Assistant Commissioner Fateh Jang and National Highways Authority (NHA)officials.