ISLAMABAD: The Honourable Federal Minister for Aviation, Ghulam Sarwar Khan performed the ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of a greenfield aerodrome for general aviation purposes. The project site is conveniently located at a 35 minutes easily accessible drive from the Allama Iqbal International Airport (AIIAP), Lahore and shall be spread over an area of 643 acres.
General Aviation flying was being primarily carried out from the historic Walton Aerodrome in Lahore with limited operations also taking from AIIAP.
However, safety concerns due to Walton being located in densely populated city area and increased traffic in the AIIAP flying circuit, led the federal government towards taking an initiative of developing a state-of-the-art greenfield aerodrome dedicated for general aviation purposes. This shall be the first greenfield aerodrome dedicated for General Aviation and envisaged to be a nursery for future pilots and aviation professionals in the country.
The salient feature of this aerodrome includes a runway having a length of 6000 feet incorporating basic airfield lighting and navigational aids along with link taxiways, apron, aircraft hangers, ATC, fire station and a fuelling facility.
The aerodrome shall also have a small terminal building, an administrative building including classrooms and an area dedicated for development of Civil Aviation Training Institutes.
This aerodrome also includes an area of 223 acres dedicated for development of a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) area to boost economic activities in the area.
The project shall be completed within twelve months with its airside development being undertaken in six months enabling shifting of flying clubs to this new facility.
The master planning, engineering design and construction supervision of the project is being undertaken by M/s Osmani & Co Pvt Ltd whereas construction works amounting to Rs 1785 million is being undertaken by a joint venture of M/s Shaanxi Construction Engineering Group – Umer Jan & Co.
The Federal Secretary Aviation Division, Shaukat Ali, DG CAA Khaqan Murtaza and Director (P&D) CAAwere also present at the ground-breaking ceremony.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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