ISLAMABAD: New Islamabad International Airport (NIIA) will to operational by October 2016.
Talking to a delegation of Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) led by its President Muzzamil Hussain Sabri, NIIA Project Director Pervez Hayat Khan claimed that 95 percent work of NIIA project had been completed. He informed that the airport was a state-of-the-art facility with three times more passengers handling capacity, four-storey terminals and 15 boarding bridges. The project director said that a 135-megawatt (MW) grid station had been built to fulfill energy needs of the airport.
On the occasion, the ICCI president stressed the need for early functioning of the NIIA as, in recent survey, the Benazir Bhutto International Airport (BBIA) had been declared the worst airport in the world. “Therefore, the NIIA will serve the purpose of uplifting the image of our federal capital,” he added. He said that a business facilitation centre should also be established at the new vicinity to meet demands of the business community.
The project director apprised the delegation that the NIIA covered an area of about 3,300 acres. He expressed concern over delay in the construction of NIIA which had led to the increase in the cost from Rs 38 billion to Rs 85 billion.
