New Gwadar International Airport

The New Gwadar International Airport is a joint venture between Pakistan, Oman and China. The airport is located 25km away from the existing Gwadar International Airport and was scheduled to commence operations on 14-Aug-2024. However, the opening of the nearly USD250 million airport was postponed over security fears, dealing a blow to efforts to boost Chinese investment in its crisis-hit economy.

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Oct-2024. Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) announced the inauguration of New Gwadar International Airport by Pakistan and China's governments. 

Aug-2024. 

26-Aug-2024. Pakistan's Minister for Aviation Khawaja Muhammad Asif informed the National Assembly that works to develop New Gwadar Airport are almost completed and the airport is on track to be commissioned in Dec-2024.

04-Aug-2024. New Gwadar Airport will reportedly commence operations on 14-Aug-2024. The airport cost PKR54.98 billion (USD199.12 million) to build and will be equipped to accommodate A380 and Boeing 747 sized aircraft, as previously reported by CAPA.

Jun-2024. Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority announced the completion of calibration flights at New Gwadar Airport. The airport is expected to commence operations in 4Q2024.

May-2023. Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) certified New Gwadar Airport for night time operations on 28-May-2023). The airport is expected to be completed and commissioned by Sep-2023.

Jul-2022. New Gwadar Airport works are expected to be completed and the airport commissioned by Sep-2023. The airport commenced development works on 31-Oct-2019. Air traffic control tower development works are on track to be completed in Mar-2023 and passenger terminal development works are on track to be completed in Jun-2023.

Jun-2022. Pakistan's Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal reported New Gwadar Airport is expected to be commissioned on 23-Mar-2023.

Aug-2021. New Gwadar Airport works are now expected to be completed by Oct-2023, rather than by Nov-2022, due to COVID-19 related delays. The airport commenced development works on 31-Oct-2019. Air traffic control tower development works are on track to be completed in Mar-2023 and passenger terminal development works are on track to be completed in Jun-2023.

May-2020. New Gwadar Airport commenced phase two development works on 16-May-2020. The airport commenced phase one development works on 31-Oct-2019.

Nov-2019. China Railway Engineering Bureau completed site clearing and preliminary development works for the New Gwadar Airport development project. Works on the project commenced on 29-Mar-2019. New Gwadar Airport will be equipped with a 3658m runway and 14,000sqm passenger terminal.

10-May-2019. Pakistan's Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan informed Pakistan's Senate that China's Government agreed to provide PKR35.3 billion (USD249.2 million) in financing for the development of New Gwadar Airport. Mr Khan confirmed works to develop New Gwadar are expected to commence in Jun-2019 and be completed within three years.

07-May-2019. Beijing Urban Construction Group and China Railway Beijing Engineering Group led consortium won a CNY1424 million (USD206.8 million) tender to construct New Gwadar Airport on 05-May-2019. The New Gwadar Airport project plans to commence construction work by 30-Jun-2019 and targets 36 months construction period.

Mar-2019. Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan will reportedly inaugurate the New Gwadar Airport development project on 29-Mar-2019. The airport project will require an estimated investment of USD230 million.

Mar-2019. Pakistan's Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reform Makhdum Khusro Bakhtyar reported works to develop New Gwadar Airport are expected to commence by the end of Mar-2019

Feb-2019. New Gwadar Airport geotechnical investigation works have reportedly been completed. Pakistan's Government aims to commence full scale construction works for the airports development project in Apr-2019.

Dec-2018. Pakistan's Government aims to commence works to develop New Gwadar Airport in 1Q2019.

Jun-2018. China's Acting Ambassador to Pakistan Zhao Lijian reported the design for New Gwadar Airport is completed. Mr Zhao said construction works for the airport development project will commence by the end of 2018.

May-2018.

23-May-2018. Pakistan's Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi reported construction works for the development of New Gwadar Airport are expected to commence in 3Q2018 or 4Q2018.

01-May-2018. Pakistan's Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi stated the New Gwadar Airport development project is in the final stages of the design and planning process. Mr Abbasi said preliminary construction works for the airport project are scheduled to commence by the end of May-2018.

Mar-2018. Gwadar Port Authority chairman Dostain Khan Jamaldini reportedly informed Pakistan's Planning, Development and Reform Committee that China's Government approved financing for the construction of New Gwadar Airport and works are expected to commence in the near future.

Jan-2018. Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) is undertaking soil testing at the site proposed for the development of New Gwadar Airport. Soil testing is expected to be complete by Feb-2018 and the design of the planned airport is expected to be completed and revealed by the end of Apr-2018.

Nov-2017.

27-Nov-2017. Pakistan's Prime Ministerial advisor on aviation Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan Abbasi reported construction works for the New Gwadar Airport development project are scheduled to commence in Sep-2018.

22-Nov-2017. Pakistan's Minister for Interior and Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal reported the joint cooperation committee of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor approved a proposed 2017-2030 long term infrastructure development and coordination plan. Mr Iqbal said China's representatives did not approve design plans for the New Gwadar Airport JV development project, but did agree to commence construction works for the airport in mid-2018.

Oct-2017. Pakistan's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) heard testimony that construction works for the New Gwadar Airport development project have not commenced because China's Government has yet to provide PKR22 billion (USD209 million) in funding, as previously agreed upon.

Jun-2017. New Gwadar Airport plans to begin construction from Sep-2017 and is expected to be completed between two and three years. The airport, located 14km north of Gradar, will be capable of handling widebody aircraft.

Feb-2017. Pakistan's Balochistan Chief Secretary Saifullah Chatta said construction at New Gwadar Airport will facilitate domestic and international operations and allow widebody aircraft movements. The project is estimated to cost PKR22 billion (USD209.9 million) and likely be completed in Oct-2017.

Oct-2016. Pakistan's Ministry of Planning, Development and Reforms intends to perform the 'groundbreaking' ceremony for New Gwadar International Airport and Eastern Expressway in 2016. The Ministry stated: "We have completed all the formalities in this regard while Chinese authorities are likely to complete their work soon to kick-start these projects". PKR1.5 billion (USD14.3 million) has reportedly been allocated for the airport project through Gwadar's Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP). Phase two of the expressway would provide connectivity to New Gwadar Airport when completed.

Sep-2016. Pakistan's Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Sheikh Aftab Ahmed stated 4380 acres of land has been acquired for the New Gwadar Airport development project.

Jul-2016. New Gwadar Airport will be constructed at the cost of USD260 million, which will include a grant from the Chinese Government, to develop the airport to international standards and enable operations by widebody aircraft including, A380s.

Mar-2016. Gwadar Development Authority director general Sajjad Hussain Baloch stated the new Gwadar Airport is expected to complete by the end of 2016. China Overseas Port Holding Company, the airport developer, will be conducting site visits on 19-Mar-2016 before it commences the USD246 million airport development project.

Nov-2015. Pakistan's Balochistan Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch spokesman Jan Muhammad Buledi said Chinese engineers will construct Pakistan's largest airport in Gwadar as part of a USD46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project. The airport would be covered on an area of around 4000 acres. The airport - expected to be completed within 30 months - is among the many agreements signed between Pakistan and China on 11-Nov-2015.

Sep-2014. Oman's Government provided USD17.5 million for Pakistan's Gwadar Airport project, according to the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority. Of the total amount, USD2.85 million was released for construction of watch towers, boundary walls and a road. The project is being undertaken by China Communications Construction Company.

Nov-2011. Pakistan's New Gwadar International Airport stated construction on the new airport is expected to be completed by the end of 2014, as opposed to the end of 2013 as previously planned.

Sep-2009. Pakistan's Central Development Working Party (CDWP) of the Planning Commission announced approval for 42 national projects with investment of USD1.3 billion, including the construction of the New Gwadar International Airport (NGIA), Balochistan, at a cost of USD90.6 million. Construction of NGIA greenfield project will be completed in phases over a 30 year period.