PESHAWAR, Nov 30: Larger aircraft with more passenger capacity will start flight operations from next year after expansion in the existing Peshawar International Airport, aviation officials said.

Officials in the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) told Dawn that landing and parking capacity of the city airport would be enhanced after the completion of the first phase of the expansion work in January, 2004.

They said larger aircraft, including B-777 and A-330, would start operation from the airport as strengthening of the apron and other areas were in progress.

Some foreign airlines are interested in introducing big aircraft to tape into the largely unexplored passenger potential of the NWFP and tribal areas working overseas, mostly in the Gulf and the Middle East.

The runway of the airport

has already been strengthened up to 9,000 feet.

Officials said the CAA was also increasing parking and taxi-way capacity to accommodate even bigger aircraft.

At present, the officials said, planes like B-737 and A-300 could land at the city airport, which also serves as an air base for the Pakistan Air Force.

A senior CAA official said after the completion of the expansion work, the present airport would be able to meet requirements for another 10 to 15 years.

In the next phase, he said, the authority also planned to construct additional terminal and other buildings to facilitate passengers. The CAA with the financial support of a foreign airline had launched upgradation work at the airport last summer.

The authority is planning to construct another airport on the outskirts of the provincial capital the site for which has been identified.