Land has been acquired for the construction of an international airport at Gwadar, the Senate's Sub-Committee on Finance was informed on Tuesday. An official of the Ministry of Defence briefed the Committee about the Gwadar airport. The committee decided to have another briefing next month on the issue.
It was informed that the government allocated Rs 600 million for this purpose in the current fiscal year while the total cost of the airport was estimated at Rs 7.6 billion. The committee proposed that the airport should be designed to accommodate future extensions. The meeting was informed that the Gwadar airport would have a runway with a length of around 10,000 feet and 150 feet width, enabling it to handle large aircraft and flights. The meeting was presided over by Senator Fateh Muhammad Hassni.
An official of Planning Commission stated that there was a need to update the airport's feasibility study because it was now five years old and the cost of the project might have been considerably increased. The committee stated that Gwadar's road, rail and air connectivity was critical for the economic development of the province and the country.
Senator Kulsoom Perveen observed that operationalisation of the Gwadar port would financially strengthen the province and decrease its dependence on the federal government.