The first international flight from the New Gwadar International Airport will take off for Muscat on January 10, while negotiations were under way with Pakistani, Chinese, Omani, and UAE airlines to start domestic and international flights to and from the port city, officials said on Sunday.
Aviation authorities told a high-level meeting on the Gwadar airport, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, that the flight operation of the PIA between Karachi and Gwadar would soon be expanded.
Chairing the meeting, Shehbaz, while expressing his gratitude to China for constructing an international standard airport, said that it would bring prosperity to the area and create new job opportunities. "The airport is an example of the great friendship between Pakistan and China," he said.
The PM was informed that flights from Gwadar to Muscat would start on January 10, 2025, whereas talks with regard to starting domestic and international flight operations by the airlines of Pakistan, China, Oman and UAE from Gwadar were under way.
The Gwadar Airport is the largest airport of the country in terms of area, and capable of handling A-380 airplanes. It is expected that about 400,000 people will travel through the airport annually. The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) has already issued the Aerodrome Certificate to the airport.
As part of the international flights, the necessary staff of the ASF, ANF, FIA, and the BHS had already been deputed. The Pakistan Customs had also notified the airport.
Separately, the premier called for enhancing the use of technology across all health sectors, including the polio eradication efforts, to modernise public health monitoring systems and achieve better outcomes.
In a meeting with Polio Eradication Team, Shehbaz directed for the formulation of a structured roster for the visits to high-risk polio-affected areas during the vaccination campaigns to ensure even more effective results.
The prime minister met with the polio eradication team to discuss the ongoing efforts to eliminate polio from Pakistan.
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