SIALKOT, Nov 3: The citizens’ dream of having an airport will come true with the inauguration of Sialkot International Airport Limited (SIAL) on Nov 6. The local business community has built the airport on self-help basis at a cost of Rs2 billion.

Talking to reporters here on Saturday, SIAL Chief Executive Khawar Anwar Khawaja said the personnel of Airport Security Force (ASF) had taken charge of their duties at the airport to handle formal cargo and passenger flights operations.

He said this mega project was the first-ever project in South Asia completed by the private sector on self-help basis reflecting the business community’s struggle, commitment, dedication, enthusiasm and sincerity.

He said the project would help enhance local exports to worth $2 billion from the current $1 billion.

Mr Khawaja said the airport would be the busiest airport of the country in future and added that it would play an instrumental role during bad weather to ensure diverted flights’ safe landing particularly during foggy season because the runway had appropriate facilities of international standards.

President Gen Pervez Musharraf had approved the project and helped in fulfilling the dream of local citizens prominently businessmen and was also likely to inaugurate the airport, Mr Khawaja said.

He appealed to the PIA chairman to take adequate steps to start passenger and cargo flights from Sialkot to Lahore and Karachi at the earliest.

The airport’s apron along with 3,600-meter-long and 45-meter-wide taxiway has capacity to park six wide-body aircrafts or three airbuses besides smaller aircrafts.

The longest international runway of the country measuring 3.6 kilometres has been constructed and it will cater to the requirements of all international and domestic cargo and passenger flights.

The construction work on main passenger terminal is going on in full swing and temporary arrangements have been made to accommodate domestic passengers at the airport.

The airport is built on Build, Own and Operate (BOO) basis and has been developed over 1,004 acre and is fully equipped for handling Boeing and Airbus jumbo aeroplanes.

The potential traffic forecast has been scaled down at the time of opening to 530,339 passengers a year, while the estimated cargo tonnage at the time of opening is expected to be 28,515 tonnes.

The general public would benefit to the tune of over Rs2 billion in terms of saving time and money while cargo handling will save over Rs1 billion.

GAS: National Assembly (NA) Speaker Choudhry Amir Hussain on Saturday inaugurated the groundbreaking of project to supply gas to Sherpur locality at a cost of around Rs1.2 million.