| Sialkot International Airport سیالکوٹ بین الاقوامی ہوائی اڈا |
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|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: SKT – ICAO: OPST
SKT
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| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Operator | Sialkot International Airport Limited | ||
| Serves | Sialkot | ||
| Location | Sambrial, Punjab | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 837 ft / 255 m | ||
| Website |
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| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 04R/22L | 11,811 | 3,600 | Asphalt |
Sialkot International Airport (IATA: SKT, ICAO: OPST) (colloquially known as Sialkot Airport) is situated 14 km (8.7 mi) west of Sialkot in the Sialkot District of Pakistan. It has the distinctions of being the first privately-owned public airport in Pakistan and South Asia and of having the longest runway in Pakistan.
Approximately 1,000,000 travellers from Sialkot and adjacent areas are expected to benefit from this international airport each year.
Recently it has been confirmed that the airport will be developed further, the apron will be extended to accommodate 12 aircraft and jet bridges will be installed.
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The export-oriented industrial city of Sialkot had long felt the need for an international passenger and cargo airport. The nearest one was in Lahore which is about 125 km away. The federal government promised the industrialists of Sialkot an international airport. Due to bureaucratic red-tape, indifference by the government and, more importantly, its proximity to Indian-administered Kashmir and periodic shelling from across the border, no work could be started.
Tired of foot-dragging, Sialkot's industrialists in the late 1980s agreed to build the airport themselves and sought the federal government's approval. On February 2, 2001, approval was granted after a decade of negotiations with the federal government, and construction of an international airport at Sialkot for passenger and cargo traffic began. A team of directors was approved, under the chairmanship of Mian Mansha (three times chairman for SIAL), all of whom placed personal wealth into the project as a primary investment. Each director on the board had previous experience running sizable and successful enterprises — they were selected due to this knowledge. Also, with Rs 5 million of personal investment in the project by each one of them, the directors had a direct stake in its profitability. As the development of SIAL went on, the number of directors had reached 250 and it was decided to close membership to the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors at SIAL inspired confidence that the potential of the airport project will be fully realized. On February 26, 2001, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce & Industry and the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority with the approval of Ministry of Defence for the construction of an international airport in Sialkot.
On March 24, 2005, Sialkot International Airport Limited (SIAL) was formed under the auspices of the chamber. On March 26, 2005, the first plane landed on the newly constructed runway, which has been built to handle a fully loaded Boeing 747, as plans involve dealing with heavy aircraft for cargo imports and exports. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) test flight PK-613 landed at the Sialkot International Airport on October 20, 2007.
A memorandum of understanding between PIA and Sialkot International Airport Authority for mutual cooperation and joint promotion of Sialkot International Airport was signed by Anwaar Rasul Khan, senior vice president (Sales), PIA, and Mian Naeem Javed, director, Sialkot International Airport.
The first and the largest international airport constructed by the private sector in Pakistan, at a cost of over Rs 2.6 billion, became operational on November 30, 2007. The former military ruler of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf formally inaugurated the Sialkot International Airport on December 11, 2007.
As of today, Sialkot has the longest runaway (3600 m)[1] of all airports in Pakistan; this will change when the new New Islamabad International Airport becomes operational.
Sialkot is a major export hub of Pakistan. The airport is being upgraded to make it compatible to carry the load of three Boeing 747s or A340s. The airport authority is currently working with a private company to develop the airport to meet international standards. The airport has developed a brand new runway so heavier aircraft can land there. There is a new terminal currently being built to deal with increase in passengers as well as cargo imports and exports.
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Pakistan International Airlines | Dammam,2 Islamabad, Jeddah, Karachi, Kuwait, London-Heathrow,1 Manchester,1 Muscat, Riyadh, Sharjah |
| Shaheen Air International | Muscat, Sharjah |
^1 Sialkot to London-Heathrow and Manchester service may involve aircraft changes and VIA routes at Karachi and Islamabad.
^2 Dammam service is marketed as Dhahran by PIA. It involves an aircraft change at Islamabad.
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| DHL International Aviation ME | Dubai, Kandahar |
| Qatar Airways Cargo | Doha |
Travellers by car from Sialkot reach the airport by travelling west on the Sialkot-Wazirabad Duel Carriageway, turning right at Sambrial to Airport Road and then go straight for 5 km to reach the airport. From Gujranwala, take Sialkot Road, up to Daska and then go to the Sambrial Road. After reaching Sambrial turn right and go straight on the Sialkot-Wazirabad Duel Carriageway. After crossing the Sialkot Dry Port turn left on the Airport road. People coming from Gujranwala can also reach the airport through Wazirabad by using the Sialkot-Wazirabad Duel Carriageway
The airport can be reached from Sialkot up to Sambrial by Bus. Then you have to take a Taxi. An American bus company FOTON [1] [2] will provide airconditioned CNG Bus Service from airport to Sialkot, Wazirabad, Daska and Gujranwala.
The nearest railway station is Sambrial which is 5 km (3.1 mi) from the airport and is serviced by a taxi link.