China-aided New Gwadar International Airport officially opens

The New Gwadar International Airport, funded and built by China as a grant, officially commenced operations on Monday. The first flight, PIA503 operated by Pakistan International Airlines, arrived at the newly inaugurated airport from Karachi, China Media Group (CMG) reported.

Pakistani officials welcomed passengers at an opening ceremony, and the inaugural flight was greeted with a traditional water salute upon landing, according to CMG.

"Today marks a historic day as the Gwadar International Airport gets functional with the landing of first commercial flight. This marks the beginning of a new era of building linkages for enhanced connectivity and integration. I hope it will pave the way for new endless opportunities," Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Pakistan said in a post published on Monday on X.

The airport is a 4F-grade state-of-the-art facility built to handle the largest civil aircraft. Its 3,658-meter-long, 75-meter-wide runway, with a specialized foundation, sets a benchmark in engineering standards, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

The new airport is located in a coastal area and faces a harsh salt spray environment that may potentially cause corrosion. According to a Chinese construction technician, the construction team took anti-corrosion measures in many aspects, such as the foundations, steel structures and decoration, with the aim of ensuring the durability of the terminal building, Xinhua reported.

The manager of the new airport said that the facility will greatly improve Pakistan's air connectivity with other countries and provide easy access for international cargo and tourists. The airport will also be equipped with a refrigerated cargo storage system to facilitate exports of local seafood and further integrate Gwadar's economy into the global market, Xinhua reported. 

Addressing previous connectivity challenges, the airport will enable modern airlines to serve Gwadar, enhancing regional economic growth and positioning Gwadar as a transshipment hub linked to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), according to Xinhua.

Launched in 2013, the CPEC, a flagship project of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, is a corridor linking the Gwadar Port in Southwest Pakistan's Balochistan province with Kashgar in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It highlighted energy, transport and industrial cooperation in the first phase, while the new phase expands into the fields of agriculture and livelihoods, among others, according to Xinhua.

A Chinese staff member at the new airport explained that the design standards, main materials and equipment used in the construction were all sourced from China, helping to promote China's civil aviation technology standards and materials abroad, CMG reported.

A Pakistani representative of the airport stated that the new facility will play a key role in the development of Gwadar and Pakistan's overall economy. With significant cargo potential, the airport is expected to handle not only a high volume of passenger traffic but also a large number of freight flights, according to CMG.

On October 14, 2024 Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif jointly attended the completion ceremony of the new Gwadar International Airport Project at the Prime Minister's Office, according to Ministry of Foreign Affairs.