The Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat were informed that in order to sustain the expected traffic in the future, the New Islamabad International Airport needs another runway – which wasn’t planned before. The airport currently has only 2 runways.
This will definitely push the opening date of the airport even further ahead than the scheduled Independence Day last month.
The plan of a third runway wasn’t included in the initial planning of the airport and it is a consequence of the poor execution and planning which led to incorrect design and construction of the runways, claim experts.
Read More: Design Error – New Islamabad Airport is Already a Disaster
CAA Director, General Asim Suleiman, said that in the initial planning phase the third runway wasn’t included due to financial limits. The third runway is being added following the instructions of the Prime Minister.
Senator Badini questioned the Director General asking him why the plans were not concluded with no land being purchased – the Director couldn’t respond.
Earlier this year, the American consultant responsible for the finalization of the project fled without carrying our his duties.
The airport’s completion was expected 2 years ago. The government has made several announcements regarding the airports completion.
The latest inauguration date was promised by the government this year – on August 14th – but it got delayed to December due to incomplete link roads.
Read More: Audit Unveils Irregularities of Millions in New Islamabad Airport
Thanks to the irregularities in the project and peculiar delays in its completion, it might not be functional till next year.
Its odd that the planners have only now realised – a month later after the August 14th deadline passed – that the airport needs another runway and now it will delay it even more.
The incompetence of the management and the government has resulted in so many delays already and has caused adverse effects such as increase in costs due to poor planning and other irregularities.
According to the officials, the two runways already built at the airport are not big enough to allow simultaneous take-off and landing by two airplanes, the wings of the airplanes will collide.
