PESHAWAR, March 10: Despite having small apron and inadequate facilities for travellers, the number of passengers at Bacha Khan International Airport, Peshawar, has witnessed an upward trend.

Sources at the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said that regardless of limited facilities the number of arriving and departing passengers was 912,744 during last year and anticipated that by expanding terminal and other facilities the figure could touch one million in the near future. Various airlines operated a total of 8,888 international flights from Peshawar for different countries in 2011.

“Peshawar has a strong future because of its location and it can provide more business on international front, provided proper space and facilities are arranged at the airport,” said an official, adding that increase in number of flights could generate employment opportunities in the region.

He said that presently seven international airlines from the Middle East were operating flights for the provincial capital while three domestic airlines, including Pakistan International Airlines, were also providing service on international and domestic routes from Peshawar.

The official said that an airline based in Saudi Arabia had been negotiating with the CAA to start service for Peshawar. The company, he said, was demanding five flights a week while the CAA had offered three.

He said that the CAA could not manage more flights due to limited parking, logistic, loading, unloading, fueling and light maintenance facilities at the airport. Called Peshawar International Airport until recently this airport was given international status in 1976. A portion of the airport is being used by Pakistan Air Force, Army Aviation and Peshawar Flying Club.

The sources said that the airport had a passenger lounge with 360 seating capacity for international flights. “We can’t accommodate two wide-body aircraft simultaneously because of lack of space,” said another official.

These sources said that besides insufficient facilities, the fragile security situation in the region was also hampering international flights. International companies had suspended flights for Peshawar due to security reasons in mid-2009, which had badly affected the business. These airlines resumed service after situation improved.

“Passengers’ rush had declined drastically when foreign companies diverted flights to Islamabad,” said an official, adding that the gap had been covered since international airlines restarted service.

Officials said that the CAA had planned to acquire land for the expansion of the airport. Recently, the matter was discussed in a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti.

Information minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain had later said that the chief minister would take up the matter in coming meetings of the Council of Common Interests and Inter-Provincial Coordination Committee. He said that all stakeholders had agreed to expand the airport. The meeting was informed that that CAA needed 6.5 acres for the project and it would cost Rs6 billion to Rs8 billon.

Sources said that plan to build new airport had been dropped and the CAA was looking for acquisition of land from the army through the ministry of defence for expansion of the existing airport.

They said that another airport in Peshawar was not feasible technically and financially. Roughly, they said, a new airport required over Rs40 billion. The sources said that the army had agreed to sell out land for the project and the provincialgovernment would also take up issue with the concerned quarters.

A source privy to the meeting told Dawn that military had demanded Rs50 million per kanal. He said that presently the price per kanal in Cantonment area was Rs20 million. “Army has agreed to provide land after its reservations about expansion of theairport were removed,” he said.

Under the proposed plan, a multi-storey parking facility, terminals equipped with arrival-departure tubes, aprons and other basic facilities would be constructed, if the land was provided.

If the existing airport was expanded properly it could meet requirements for next three to four decades, said an official at the CAA, adding that the proposed project could be completed in two years.