New Islamabad Airport to be completed by October 2016

Islamabad
New Islamabad Airport having area of 3,289 acres, work on which is already late for more than 2 years, would be completed by October 2016, Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Project Director Brig Pervez Hayat Niazi told ‘The News’ here on Friday.
We have spent Rs44 billion on its construction work against its total cost of Rs81 billion and its cost may once again be revised, he said. He said that access road to the new Islamabad Airport and water shortage is the main problems that are delaying its operation. The prime minister has approved access road to the airport but National Highway Authority (NHA) yet failed to start construction work, he claimed. He also said that we have controlled water shortage problem by establishing two small dams within the jurisdiction of New Islamabad Airport.
The Civil Aviation Authority Project Director also said that government has approved two dams, Rama Dam and Khasana Dam, to complete water shortage in New Islamabad Airport. Construction work of Rama Dam has been started and would be finalised till next monsoon season of 2016, he claimed. He has admitted that construction work of airport delayed but due to some genuine reasons.
He said that practically construction work of New Islamabad Airport started in August 2008. It was five years plan and it was to complete till 2013. “We are late because of some genuine reasons”, he claimed. He also said that with the help of Islamabad Electric Supply Company (Iesco) we have established own grid station for power supply here in New Islamabad Airport.
He denied all allegations regarding construction of short distance runways. He said that we have established two runways one regular runway while the other emergency runway. We have established emergency runway on 210 feet distance of regular runway parallel, which is an international standard, he said. We have hired national and international engineers who are working day and night to complete construction work of new Islamabad Airport for its operation, he said.
In February this year, the NHA invited bids for construction of access road to the new airport but the tenders were called off but of late when the deputy chairman Planning Commission grilled the NHA officials for sticking to the alignment approved by the PM, the NHA has once again invited the bidders of sound financial and technical background for building the access road.
On May 8, the NHA issued tender drawing to the interested contractors and on May 12 a pre-bid meeting was held and on May 18, tenders were opened. In the next few days -- first technical bids, submitted by contractors will be opened and then the financial bids will be opened.
The NHA has asked interested and qualified parties to bid for the ‘construction of the main link road (access controlled)’ to the NIIA, which will be 13.5 kilometres starting from the Golra Morr and the project will cost Rs8.78 billion approximately including construction of flyover, toll plazas and service roads on and along the link road. It is worth mentioning here that a major portion of the access road has already built and is used to approach Islamabad Motorway (M-2) toll plaza whereas NHA will have to build afresh a four-kilometre road from Motorway Zero Point to the New Airport to give access to the airport from the twin cities.
It merits mentioning here that the prime minister approved the most cost-effective, straight and trouble-free link road through the Kashmir Highway to the new under construction Islamabad Airport rejecting the zigzag and expensive routes. This is the shortest, inexpensive and hassle-free access to the new airport as originally planned, in accordance with the Islamabad Master Plan.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Official Spokesman Fariha Tahir Shah said that we have planted more than 10,000 plants here in New Islamabad Airport to make the atmosphere healthy and green.
Different government and private department and multi-national companies donated us costly plants to make the atmosphere green and natural, she said. She also said that first time in history the biggest aircraft A-380 will also land here in New Islamabad Airport. First time, ‘Instrument Landing System’ has been established in which planes could move even in foggy weather, he said.