Pakistan opens largest, strategically important airport in Gwadar

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD (AA) - Pakistan on Monday opened its largest and strategically important airport in Gwadar, southwestern Balochistan province.

The first commercial flight of Pakistan International Airline (PIA) landed at the Gwadar International Airport which was welcomed by Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, Balochistan Governor Jafar Khan Mandokhel and Chief Minister Sarfaraz Ahmad Bugti, according to the Civil Aviation Authority.

Video aired on state-run Pakistan Television and other private channels showed the aircraft receiving a water salute upon landing.

PIA flight PK-503, departing from Karachi at 9:50 a.m. (0450GMT), touched down at the state-of-the-art Gwadar facility at 11:15 a.m., carrying 46 passengers, officially marking the commencement of operations at the newly inaugurated airport. The airport, one of Pakistan's largest, is set to handle both domestic and international flights.

"The new Gwadar International Airport is poised to play a pivotal role in connecting Pakistan to global markets and facilitating trade, tourism, and economic development. The successful landing of PIA flight PK-503 is a significant step toward realizing Gwadar’s potential as a regional and global hub for commerce and connectivity," said the Civil Aviation Authority.

Spread across 4,300 acres, Gwadar airport is the country's largest facility which is expected to be used by military aircraft as well.

Large aircraft like Airbus A380 and Boeing 747 could also land on the airport runway.

The $200-million Gwadar International Airport, a central piece of the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), was symbolically inaugurated by Chinese Premier Li Qiang in October last year during his visit to Islamabad in a ceremony held at Pakistan's Prime Minister's Office in Islamabad.

The $64 billion CPEC, launched in 2015 as part of China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative, seeks to connect China’s northwestern Xinjiang province to Pakistan’s Balochistan province via a 2,000-mile network of roads, railways, and pipelines. The deep-sea Gwadar port, a critical component of CPEC, is intended to provide China with its shortest trade route to the Middle East, Africa, and Central Asia.

However, the project has encountered resistance from ethnic Baloch separatists who accuse China of "stealing" local resources. The separatists have targeted Chinese nationals and CPEC-related infrastructure across Pakistan in recent years.

Alongside Baloch separatists, militants affiliated with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan have also targeted Chinese nationals and projects.