MUZAFFARABAD: Government officials and representatives of an Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) based private tourism airline on Friday inspected the downscaled Muzaffarabad airport to look into some of the basic needs for revival of the aerodrome.

The inspection was carried out on the directions of AJK Prime Minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas, who has repeatedly expressed his determination to exploit the rich tourism potential of the liberated territory and the revival of its two abandoned airports.

“The launch of Kashmir Airlines and revival of Muzaffarabad and Rawalakot airports will go a long way towards tapping AJK’s rich tourism and other potentials and subsequently boosting its economy. I’m sure all authorities concerned will also realise the urgency of the matter and do the needful at full tilt,” he tweeted in the evening.

Earlier, Zarteef Badshah, a representative of CareCloud-MTBC - a publicly traded US healthcare information technology company that has obtained the licence for launch of Kashmir Airlines, toldDawnthat he had visited Muzaffarabad airport along with a group of senior government officials where they resolved to address some of basic needs for its operationalisation.

These needs included among other things the upgradation of the electricity supply system at the airport, completion of its fencing and increase of police vigilance in its surroundings, he said.

In the meanwhile, he added, Kashmir Airline’s technical team would also present its report to PM Ilyas with regard to the measures to be taken by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for revival of the airport.

According to CAA sources, flight operations at the Muzaffarabad and Rawalakot airports had started in 1987.

Initially two Twin Otter flights would operate between Islamabad and Muzaffarabad and Rawalakot on a daily basis, but the flight frequency was gradually reduced to once a day, twice a week and once a week in the following years due to “decline in passenger load.”

Towards the end of 1990s, the total annual passenger load tapered off to three figures, the sources claimed, adding, this led to the suspension of flight operations by PIT in 2001.

Last time Muzaffarabad airport had seen the hustle and bustle of flying machines was in the aftermath of the October 2005 earthquake when helicopters would daily land and take off with food aid and other humanitarian supplies.

In November 2006 the CAA downscaled Muzaffarabad airport – 13 months after a similar decision about Rawalakot airport – due to the PIA’s inability to continue its services there.

However, successive AJK governments have been constantly urging the federal government to resume flight operations from both airports in the territory to facilitate local residents as well as the tourists from across the world.

In May 2015, the CAA had reportedly submitted proposals to the Planning Commission for operationalisation and upgradation of Muzaffarabad and Rawalakot airports, recommending extension in runways and air navigation facilities, rehabilitation of terminal and extension of apron to able to park three to four aircraft because of hilly location of the aerodromes.

However, as yet any further development in this regard was not known.

Published in Dawn, March 19th, 2023