Governor praises peshwar airport capacity expansion plan

Peshawar: NWFP Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani has appreciated the proposal of Civil Aviation Authority (CCA) for expanding the capacity of Peshawar International Airport to meet the upcoming air-traffic requirements.

Presiding over a meeting here at Governor's House, he not only stressed the need for expediting the efforts to materialise the project at the earliest but also to look into the possibility to construct an additional airport at a suitable place in the province.

The meeting was also attended by the provincial Chief Secretary, Sahibzada Riaz Noor, Quartermaster General of Pakistan Army, Lieutenant General Muhammad Afzal Muzzafar and the Director General of Civil Aviation Authority, Air Vice Marshal and Sajid Habib. The Governor said, 'almost 95 percent strength of the existing air traffic load at the Peshawar International Port is foreign bound'.

Apart from this, he added, quite a good number of foreign bound passengers, hailing from this province are also compelled to travel long distances to take flights, especially because of lack of facilities. It has become requirement to further up-grade and enhance the air travelling facilities in the province, he added.

'We must have to explore every possibility to facilitate the passengers and enhance the capacity of air traffic system', he said.

He also described the willingness of a number of new airlines to start their services from Peshawar International Airport a welcoming sign in this connection and said that creation of possibility to accommodate their requests would also significantly contribute to generate additional economic activities in the province.

Meanwhile, the meeting reviewed a proposal to arrange additional land to pave way for creating the possibility to expand the jurisdictions of Peshawar Airport and enhance its facilities.

It was principally agreed upon to provide a chunk of 52 kanals land on the western side of the Peshawar Airport, just along the Khyber Road and on completion of the expansion project, possibility will be made available to re-locate the existing establishments and enhance the parking facilities for three additional passenger aeroplanes at a time at the airport.

Besides, it was added, standard of existing facilities, meant for passengers will also be further increased. Similarly, tenders for implementation on another project of similar nature have already been floated under which capacity for landing and taxing of additional aeroplanes is also being increased.