Pakistan plans to revamp all major airports

Karachi's Jinnah International Airport.

The government is planning a massive Rs44 billion overhaul of major airports over the next two years as part of its new aviation policy announced earlier this year.
According to Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) sources the much overdue short- and medium-term projects will help renovate infrastructure, upgrade facilities and equipment as well as enhance security at major airports.
While the available documents do not provide specific project details or disclose the source of funding for most of the projects, they outline timelines to complete them, with most slated to be completed over the next two years.
In Quetta, a project worth Rs1.6 billion has been earmarked to upgrade the terminal building at Quetta airport during the ongoing fiscal year. Work on new passenger bridges, concourse hall and allied facilities are expected to start soon.
Simultaneously, a Rs2 billion revamp of the terminal building and other amenities at Bacha Khan International Airport in Peshawar is expected to commence in October. Further, a CAT-I instrument landing system (ILS) is being installed at the airport
Lahore airport is racing against time to complete installation of a new ILS, the $25 million CAT-3 B - gifted by Qatar. The civil aviation hopes to have the system in place before the winter fog rolls in which virtually shut the airport down last year. While the ILS at Karachi airport has already been upgraded, the CAA plans to replace old radars with new ones at both Karachi and Lahore airports by December next year at a cost of Rs1.5 billion
The CAA also plans to replace 23-year old aerobridges at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi. The 12 aerobridges at the airport had been installed in 1992. Under the Rs1.6 billion project, all of the boarding bridges will be replaced with state-of-the-art concourses manufactured by Spanish engineering firm Adelte by October 2016.
The government has also decided to enhance facilities at the new Islamabad airport, whose construction is expected to be completed by 2016.
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• Pakistan