Ahsan seeks plan to commercialise Gwadar airport in 3 weeks

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal has directed the authorities to furnish plan for commercialisation of the recently inaugurated New Gwadar International Airport (NGIA) in three weeks. He was chairing meeting which reviewed progress on the commercialisation and operationalisation of the recently inaugurated New Gwadar International Airport (NGIA) to be completed by the Pakistan Airport Authority (PAA) and Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

Ahsan Iqbal highlighted the critical importance of positioning Gwadar as a hub for international airlines. He stressed that if airlines are not attracted within six months of inauguration, the likelihood of success diminishes over the years. To incentivise long-haul flights from regions such as South Africa and Australia, the minister proposed providing attractive rates for at least five years, emphasising technical landings as a key strategy.

Highlighting the need for a market-driven approach, the minister emphasised that a market analysis should have been conducted before the airport’s inauguration.