Peshawar airport to commence night-time flight operations after five years

Operations to resume starting Jan 22

PESHAWAR: After a gap of five years, Bacha Khan International Airport in Peshawar will start night-time flight operations from January 22.

The first flight, after the resumption of 24-hour flight operations, will be to Sharjah.



Night flight operations were ceased in 2014 after gunmen fired at a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) aircraft while it was landing. One passenger was reported dead in the incident while a member of the cabin crew was injured.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Mahmood Khan was apprised about the plan and has been requested to appear for the inaugural flight.



On January 3, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) installed a state-of-the-art full body scanner at the terminal to check for smuggling and money laundering.

The CAA installed this costly body scanner after health experts objected to the previous X-ray scanners, saying that those were hazardous to human health. The new scanner would be operated by the Airport Security Force and only suspected passengers would be checked through it.