New Gwadar Airport set to become country’s largest after thorough testing
The testing and commissioning of the New Gwadar International Airport (NGIA) have been completed with precision.
This phase marks the culmination of a detailed three-month process, begun on April 15, that optimized the airport’s compliance with design requirements, operational efficiency, and minimized future operational risks while adhering to maintenance standards and legislative regulations.
The comprehensive testing and commissioning involved the airport’s entire infrastructure, including the runway, taxiway, apron, electrical systems, telecommunications networks, security features, water supply system, and grid station, Gwadar Pro reported on Monday.
A Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Pakistan official explained to Gwadar Pro, “Testing and commissioning encompass a series of engineering techniques and procedures designed to check, inspect, and test every operational component of a project, from individual functions to complex systems. The main objective is to ensure that all elements, including construction, processing, and installation, function according to capacity, usage, and requirements.”
Last July, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif inaugurated the airbase infrastructure of the China-funded NGIA, which includes 32 components such as civil, technical, electrical, and communication facilities, alongside modern allied services.
The next phase will see the construction of a cargo complex designed to handle diverse cargo types. Upon completion, NGIA will be the largest airport in Pakistan and the nation’s second to operate under an open sky policy. It is slated to accommodate both narrow-body aircraft such as the ATR 72 and Boeing B-737, and wide-body aircraft like the Airbus A-380 and Boeing B-747, facilitating both domestic and international flights.
Costing Rs. 60.208 billion, NGIA is a flagship project of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The airport, surrounded by a security fence, spans over 4,300 acres and is located 26 km northeast of the existing Gwadar City airport on the southwestern Arabian Sea coast of the Balochistan region.