Exploring Pakistan's Balochistan: Airports And Accessibility

Balochistan is a province in southwest Pakistan. It is home to the newly constructed Gwadar International Airport, which was completed in October 2024. Balochistan has a total of 50 airports, including domestic and international airports.

There are 50 airports in Balochistan, Pakistan

Balochistan, Pakistan, is home to 50 airports. The newest airport is located in the coastal city of Gwadar, completed in October 2024. The airport is a stark contrast to the impoverished, restive southwestern Balochistan province around it.

Gwadar, while rich in culture and natural beauty, remains isolated. Its domestic airport only offers flights to Karachi three times a week, with no direct routes to major cities like Islamabad or Quetta. Security concerns have delayed the opening of the new international airport, with fears that nearby mountains could be used as strategic points for militant attacks.

Members of Pakistan’s ethnic Baloch minority say they face discrimination by the government and are denied opportunities available elsewhere in the country, charges the government denies. The government claims that 2,000 local jobs have been created, but many question who qualifies as “local”—the native Baloch community or workers brought in from other regions.

The airport's inauguration was muted, held virtually by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and China’s Li Qiang, with no media or public allowed.

Gwadar International Airport is Pakistan's newest airport

Balochistan, Pakistan, is home to 50 airports. The newest of these is the New Gwadar International Airport (NGIA), which was completed in October 2024. The airport is located in the coastal city of Gwadar, in the south-western Arabian Sea coast of Balochistan Province.

The NGIA is the largest airport in Pakistan by area, occupying 4,300 acres (17 km2) of land. It is also the second greenfield airport in the country, after Islamabad International Airport. The airport is expected to cost $246 million and is mainly funded by China as a grant.

The NGIA is capable of handling A-380 aircraft and has the capacity to manage 4 million passengers annually. The airport is expected to transform the economy of Gwadar and the country as a whole. However, there have been concerns about security, with fears that nearby mountains could be used as strategic points for militant attacks.

The airport was inaugurated virtually by Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and China's Li Qiang, with no media or public allowed. The inauguration was a muted affair, and the airport has faced criticism for staying empty, with no passengers or planes.

Gwadar International Airport is funded by China

Balochistan, Pakistan, has 50 airports. One of these is the New Gwadar International Airport (NGIA), which is located in Gurandani, 26 kilometres north-east of the old airport in Gwadar. It is the largest airport in Pakistan by area, occupying 4,300 acres of land. The airport was completed in October 2024, and was formally inaugurated by Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and China's Li Qiang.

The airport is mainly funded by China as a grant, with additional participation from Pakistan and Oman. The total cost of the airport was $246 million, with China contributing $240 million.

The airport is part of a multibillion-dollar project called the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which connects China's western Xinjiang province with the Arabian Sea. Despite being hailed as transformational, the airport has faced criticism for its lack of passengers and planes, as well as security concerns. Members of Pakistan's ethnic Baloch minority have also raised concerns about discrimination and denied opportunities in the region.

Gwadar International Airport is empty, with no passengers or planes

Balochistan, Pakistan, has 50 airports. One of these is Gwadar International Airport, which is empty, with no passengers or planes. The airport was completed in October 2024, and is located in the coastal city of Gwadar, in the impoverished, restive southwestern Balochistan province.

Gwadar is rich in culture and natural beauty, but remains isolated. Its domestic airport only offers flights to Karachi three times a week, with no direct routes to major cities like Islamabad or Quetta. Security concerns have delayed the opening of the new international airport, with fears that nearby mountains could be used as strategic points for militant attacks. The airport's inauguration was held virtually by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and China’s Li Qiang, with no media or public allowed.

Members of Pakistan’s ethnic Baloch minority say they face discrimination by the government and are denied opportunities available elsewhere in the country, charges the government denies. The government claims that 2,000 local jobs have been created, but many question who qualifies as “local”.

Gwadar International Airport only offers flights to Karachi three times a week

Balochistan, Pakistan, has 50 airports. One of these is Gwadar International Airport, which is located in the coastal city of Gwadar. The airport was completed in October 2024 and is funded by China. Despite being Pakistan's newest airport, it has been described as a "mystery" due to its lack of passengers and planes. The airport only offers flights to Karachi three times a week, with no direct routes to major cities like Islamabad or Quetta. Security concerns have also delayed the opening of the new international airport, with fears that nearby mountains could be used as strategic points for militant attacks.

Gwadar is a city rich in culture and natural beauty, but it remains isolated. Members of Pakistan's ethnic Baloch minority, who live in the surrounding impoverished and restive southwestern Balochistan province, say they face discrimination by the government and are denied opportunities available elsewhere in the country. The government denies these charges.

Despite the questions surrounding the airport's purpose and the controversy surrounding the treatment of the local Baloch community, Gwadar International Airport stands as a significant infrastructure project in Balochistan, Pakistan. With its completion, the airport offers improved connectivity to the region, even if its utilisation remains limited to a few weekly flights to Karachi.

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