First test flight on New Benazir Bhutto International Airport

Pakistan

First test flight on New Benazir Bhutto International Airport

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First flight landed on runway of the New Benazir Bhutto International Airport near Fatehjang.

15 March,2012 06:33 pm

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) ran the first test flight to the under-construction new Airport to check its runway on Thursday (today). “The construction of two runways have been completed; however, the remaining work is in progress and likely to complete by end of June 2013,” said Air Marshal (r) Khalid Chaudhry, the director general of CAA.Defence Minister Ahmad Mukhtar also travelled by the first flight. Secretary Defence Nargis Sethi and other senior officials were also on board the first flight from Benazir Bhutto International Airport Islamabad.Chaudhry Khalid said a small plane of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) would make the first flight to the new airport. “We have completed the construction of the runways, taxi apron, VIP apron and other related facilities,” he said.The new airport will have bigger halls as compared to Jinnah and Allama Iqbal terminals in Karachi and Lahore and will handle 6.5 million passengers annually.“This airport will be a modern landmark structure representing the 21st century Pakistan, as it will be the diplomatic and business gateway to Pakistan through the capital city of Islamabad,” the official said.The construction of the airport costing over Rs60 billion was started in April, 2007. Former President Pervez Musharraf and former Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz laid the foundation of the airport spreading over 3,200 acres near Fatehjang, 30 kilometres from Islamabad. The PPP-led government renamed it as New Benazir Bhutto International Airport in 2008.