CAA allocates Rs nine billion for 2007-08 ADP

Multan: Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has allocated Rs 9 billion for its Annual Development Programme (ADP) for 2007-08. Of them Rs 3 billion have so far been spent on the projects of Islamabad, Gwadar, Peshawar airports during the first quarter of current financial year, said Director General CAA Farooq Rehmatullah.

He said this while briefing the local journalists here along with Air-Commodore Junaid Amin CEO of airport services, Vikram Singh Sodha, Director Planning and Development and Yousaf Kamal Direcor works.

The D G said that CAA's had never been more than Rs 500 to 800 million but we had spent Rs 1.2 billion on the expansion of infrastructure last year. Now Lahore is one of the eighteen beautiful airports of the world.

He said that Runway of Islamabad airport was being levelled and it would be completed in next 30 days while construction of terminal building would begin in April 2008 and this project would be completed in next 33 months. Its capacity would be increased from 9 million to 25 million passengers annually.

D G said that Gwadar airport would be completed in next two years and this project would be executed in next six months. He said that President of Pakistan had sanctioned Rs one billion for Multan airport expansion plan while, remaining 3.5 billion would be spent by the CAA. He said that military had provided 43 acres of land free of cost for the expansion plan. Now its runway would be expanded to 11,000 feet from 9,000 and it would widened by 150 feet for the wide-bodied aircraft.

Multan airport would have a capacity of parking of four aircraft at a time, 500 vehicles in parking lounge and a modern cargo complex with refrigeration plant. D G further said that Multan airport would not be closed for aircraft landing and it would remain operational even during its construction.

However landing hours would be reduced to 18 hours. Highlighting the recent developments on the ongoing up-gradation process, the D G CAA said that the development projects are presently being made to facilitate all domestic and international passengers at the Multan airport.

He elaborated that the project encompasses two important phases, ie expansion of the terminal building (phase-I) and up-gradation of the airside facilities (Phase-II).

Moreover, it was also mentioned that 43 acres of land has been acquired for the terminal building, is being given free of cost by the Pakistan Army to CAA whereas the Pakistan Air Force has also allowed the extension of runway on its land.

Regarding the completion time of the project, Farooq Rahmatullah said that following the tender documentation, which is expected to be completed by January 2008, airside work for the airport project is expected to commence from April 2008 with an expected completion time of 36 months.