June 22, 2008	Sunday	Jamadi-us-Sani 17, 1429

PESHAWAR, June 21: The government has allocated Rs5 billion for the expansion of the Peshawar International Airport but the project cannot be executed due to non-availability of land.

This was stated by Deputy Director General Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Air Vice-Marshal Sajid Habib at a training workshop organised for journalists here on Saturday. The workshop was held to build capacity of journalists regarding aircraft accident investigations.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Habib said the government had no plan to construct new airport in the provincial capital because of non-availability of suitable site and the existing airport would be expanded. For this purpose, he said, the government had earmarked an amount of Rs5 billion. Under the proposed project apron, taxi area and passengers’ terminal would be expanded. He said that non-availability of land was the major hindrance in the expansion of the airport.

He said the CAA was negotiating with the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and Pakistan Army to provide the required land for the airport.

He said that a parallel mini runway was being constructed at the airport to accommodate traffic.

The CAA has approached both army and the PAF to provide land for the expansion of the airport, which is utilised for civil aviation and strategic purposes simultaneously. Officials said the PAF had agreed to provide land for the project but military had yet to decide.

The plan for constructing new airport in Peshawar was floated in early 2000 and surveys were conducted. Sites were identified but ministry of defence abandoned the plan and directed the CAA to expand the existing facility.

Mr Habib said the CAA was making Dera Ismail Khan Airport functional. He said that work on the new Islamabad airport was in progress and the project was likely to be completed by 2010. Estimated cost of the project was Rs38 billion, adding that growing oil prices could further escalate the cost. After Islamabad airport, work on the airport at New Gwadar would be started.

Regarding the workshop, he said, the main objective of the event was to provide non-technical overview of the process of the aircraft accidents investigation and to build a public confidence in air travel.