PESHAWAR: Adviser to the prime minister on aviation Sardar Mahtab Ahmad Khan expressed dismay at the slow pace of work on renovation and expansion of the Bacha Khan International Airport, Peshawar, and directed the relevant Civil Aviation Authority officials to successfully execute the project within the stipulated period.

“No delay in completion of work on this airport’s expansion will be tolerated,” he told reporters during a visit to the airport on Wednesday.

Aviation secretary Irfan Elahi, CAA director general retired air marshal Asim Suleman and other officials were also present on the occasion.

Orders project’s execution in stipulated time

The adviser also ordered the CAA official to ensure the use of quality construction material in the project.

He said Peshawar was an important destination due to geographical location.

Mr Mahtab said Peshawar was a metropolis and therefore, its airport served as the centre of air travel for millions of passengers of Fata as well.

He said the role of Peshawar city and its airport was of great importance in the context of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project and therefore, the government wanted to make it a modern international airport.

The adviser said it was imperative to provide proper facilities to passengers at Peshawar airport and therefore, the government had launched the project for its renovation and expansion, which would be completed in Nov this year.

He said under the project, a multi-storey car parking lot would be built at a cost of Rs1.5 billion in nine months with a capacity to accommodate 900 cars.

Mr Mahtab said the new domestic lounge at the airport would be operational next month having a capacity of 350 passengers, while the new international lounge would accommodate 1,000 passengers.

Earlier, Mahtab visited different sections of the airport and examined the pace and quality of work.

He also checked facilities offered to passengers at the international and domestic lounges.

The adviser expressed displeasure at the lack of cleanliness and asked the relevant officials to ensure cleanliness during the construction.

He said passengers faced problems due to the ongoing expansion work.

“After the completion of expansion and renovation, this airport will become a state-of-the-art international airport of the country,” he said.

Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2017