RAWALPINDI: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA)’s PK-785 to London will be the last commercial flight to operate from Benazir Bhutto International Airport (BBIA) on Friday while the last domestic flight to land at the airport will be PK-608 from Gilgit.
The BBIA will be closed at 10am on April 20 when the new Islamabad International Airport (IIA) will become operational.
The national flag carrier started its international operations from the BBIA in 1963. The VIP and VVIP lounges were constructed in 1972 while a major expansion and renovation of the airport was carried out in 2015.
PK-608 from Gilgit will be last flight to land at old airport
The Islamabad airport was established adjacent to the Chaklala Airbase which was set up in 1930. In 2008, the airport was named after PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto who was assassinated after a public rally in Rawalpindi’s Liaquat Bagh on Dec 27, 2007.
Whether the BBIA will remain operational or not is yet to be finalised by the authorities concerned.
However, the Aviation Division has asked the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to submit proposals for the utilisation of the airport for VVIP flights and general aviation operations.
The authorities concerned have also been directed not to vacate any part of the BBIA in its possession and adopt measures to protect its property. Syed Aamir Mehboob, director media management, told Dawn that utilisation of the airport was yet to be decided.
“The utilisation of the airport will be decided by the Aviation Division after the inauguration of the new airport. It is still with us (civil aviation),” he said.
Some aviation experts suggested keeping the BBIA intact as millions of rupees had been spent on its renovation and extension in 2015. It can be used for domestic flight operations for the convenience of the local passengers whose majority live in Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
The airport authorities do not need immigration facilities, customs, Anti-Narcotics Force except security checking and airlines staff to facilitate the domestic passengers.
The experts were of the view that the domestic operations at the BBIA would also reduce the burden of flights at the new airport helping it attract more international flights, improve facilities and enhance the image of the country besides generating more revenues.
According to a PIA spokesman, the last flight of the national flag carrier to arrive at the BBIA would be PK-608 from Gilgit at 8:45am on Friday while PK-785 will be the last flight to depart for London at 11:45am.
He said after the departure of the London flight the BBIA would be closed for commercial flights which would be shifted to the new airport.
PIA operations from the BBIA would stop at 2pm on April 20 and its operations from IIA would start at 10am.
The spokesman said the first flight to land at the new airport on April 20 would be PK-300 from Karachi at 8:55am.
And the first international flight to operate from the new airport would be PK-701 to Manchester at 3pm the same day.
Major incidents
On July 28, 2010, an Airblue flight from Karachi to Islamabad crashed into the Margalla Hills while trying to land at the BBIA, killing all the 152 people on board.
On April 20, 2012, a Boeing 737-200 of Bhoja Airline from Karachi with 127 people on board crashed near Chaklala while taking position for landing during bad weather. All 127 people on board the plane were killed.
PK-661 from Chitral to Islamabad crashed near Havelian while approaching for landing at the BBIA on December 7, 2016. All the` 45 people on board the ATR 42-500 lost their lives.
Published in Dawn, April 18th, 2018