Benazir Bhutto International Airport

Benazir Bhutto
International Airport
Islamabad International Airport
بینظیر بھٹو بین الاقوامی ہوائی اڈا
Summary
Airport type Public / Military
Operator Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority
Serves Islamabad and Rawalpindi
Location Rawalpindi
Hub for
Elevation AMSL 508 m / 1,688 ft
Coordinates 33°36′59″N 073°05′57″E / 33.61639°N 73.09917°E / 33.61639; 73.09917Coordinates: 33°36′59″N 073°05′57″E / 33.61639°N 73.09917°E / 33.61639; 73.09917
Website bbiap.caapakistan.com.pk
Map
ISB

Location of airport in Pakistan

Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
12/30 3,292 10,801 Asphalt
Statistics (2015)
Passengers 4,767,860

Benazir Bhutto International Airport (Urdu: بینظیر بھٹو بین الاقوامی ہوائی اڈا‎, IATA: ISB, ICAO: OPRN) is the third-largest airport in Pakistan, serving the capital Islamabad and its twin city Rawalpindi in the province of Punjab. Previously known as the Islamabad International Airport, it was renamed after the late Pakistani leader Benazir Bhutto by the then Prime Minister of Pakistan, Yusuf Raza Gillani on 21 June 2008.[1] The airport is actually located outside Islamabad, in the area of Chaklala, Rawalpindi. Being the main airport for the Pakistani capital it often hosts officials and citizens from other nations. The airfield is shared with the transport and liaison squadrons of the Pakistan Air Force, which refers to it as PAF Base Nur Khan.

History

In the fiscal year 2008–2009, over 3,136,664 passengers used Benazir Bhutto International Airport and 34,025 aircraft movements were registered.[2] The airport serves as a hub for the flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines. It is also the hub of Shaheen Air International and a focus city of airblue.

The government recently launched a Rs. 399 million project to renovate and expand the airport including the 518 by 23 m (1,700 by 75 ft) taxi way link adjacent to the lone runway of the airport.[3] The renovation was completed by March, 2015.[4]

After expansion it is called New Islamabad International Airport is an under construction international airport located in Fateh Jang, Attock District planned to serve the Islamabad Rawalpindi metropolitan area. The airport is likely to open for commercial flights in August 2017. The airport project was conceived initially in 1984 for which the acquisition of land in Attock started the same year. Constructed approximately 20 km west of the twin cities, it is being built to replace the existing Benazir Bhutto International Airport which doesn't have the capacity to handle air traffic. After repeated delays, the project is expected to be become operational by mid-2017. The airport is connected to Islamabad via the Kashmir Highway and Rawalpindi via the GT Road. A 26 km six lane highway is under-construction to further expand the connectivity of the airport. The Rawalpindi-Islamabad Metrobus is planned to be expanded to connect the Islamabad with the metropolitan area. Once completed it will be the first greenfield airport in Pakistan and the first to support the landing of Airbus A380. Build on an area of 3,289 acres, the project consists of 90 check-in counters and a parking facility for 2,000 vehicles and will cater to upward of 10 million people every year in its first phase and up to 25 million in the second phase. The terminal includes 15 gates with ten remote gates, a four-star hotel, duty-free shops, two runways, six taxiways, food court and 42 immigration counters. Its Package-1 of civil works was started on February 15, 2010 and was completed on May 14, 2014, incurring a cost of PKR 10924 million as quoted by the contractor of the project.The construction project was awarded to Habib Construction Services which is one of the largest construction companies of Pakistan and have worked on several other mega projects previously.

Expansion Statistics:[5]

Location Islamabad
Construction Cost PKR 10924 Million
Client Aviation Division, Government of Punjab
Consultant Mott MacDonald
Contractor Habib Construction Services Limited, Lagan, TAPL

Facilities

Benazir Bhutto International Airport is a civil and military airport which handles VIPs as well as public scheduled operations for many airlines. Foreign diplomats, high level government officials, as well as military officials are welcomed at this airport.

Currently, the airport is able to handle eleven wide body aircraft at one time, with additional five parking places for general aviation aircraft. It cannot accommodate large aircraft such as the Airbus A380 or the Boeing 747-8. This airport does not have any air bridges installed, so buses take the passengers from the airport terminal to the aircraft where air stairs are used.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

AirlinesDestinations
Air Arabia Ras al-Khaimah
Air China Beijing–Capital1
Airblue Abu Dhabi, Dubai–International, Karachi, Rahim Yar Khan, Sharjah
China Southern Airlines Ürümqi
Emirates Dubai–International
Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi
Gulf Air Bahrain
Kam Air Kabul
Kuwait Airways Kuwait
Oman Air Muscat
Pakistan International Airlines Abu Dhabi, Bahawalpur, Barcelona, Beijing–Capital, Birmingham, Chitral, Copenhagen, Dammam, Doha, Dubai–International, Gilgit, Jeddah, Kabul, Karachi, Kuala Lumpur–International, Kuwait, Lahore, London–Heathrow, Manchester, Milan–Malpensa, Multan, Muscat, Oslo-Gardermoen, Paris–Charles de Gaulle, Quetta, Rahim Yar Khan, Riyadh, Salalah,[6] Sharjah, Sialkot, Skardu, Sukkur, Tokyo–Narita, Toronto–Pearson, Zhob
Qatar Airways Doha
Safi Airways Kabul
Saudia Dammam, Jeddah, Riyadh
Serene Air Karachi
Shaheen Air Abu Dhabi, Dammam, Dubai–International, Karachi [7] Riyadh
Thai Airways Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi
Turkish Airlines Baku, Istanbul–Atatürk

*Notes: 1: Air China's flight from Islamabad to Beijing continues on to Karachi. However, Air China does not have eighth freedom rights to carry passengers solely from Islamabad to Karachi.

Cargo

AirlinesDestinations
TCS Courier Dubai–International, Karachi, Lahore, London–Heathrow
Turkish Airlines Cargo Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi, Bishkek, Istanbul–Atatürk

Accidents and incidents

The US Air Force was a regular visitor to the airport, providing relief goods for the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, photographed 2005
An Air Blue Airbus A321. This aircraft is similar to the one involved in Airblue Flight 202 air crash.

See also

References

Citations

  1. ↑ "PM names Islamabad Airport as Benazir Bhutto International Airport - GEO.tv". Archived from the original on 15 July 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  2. ↑ caapakistan.com.pk – Major Traffic Flows By Airport During The Year 2008–09 Archived 13 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
  3. ↑ Iftikhar A. Khan. "Islamabad airport set to get a new look". Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  4. ↑ "‘Rs399m spent on renovation, expansion of Islamabad airport’". Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  5. ↑ "Plea against Civil Aviation boss: Airport won’t be ready before April 2015, says CAA". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  6. ↑ http://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/271019/pakistan-international-proposes-islamabad-salalah-service-from-feb-2017/
  7. ↑ "Shaheen Air ends Manchester service in mid Feb 2017". Airlineroute. 3 February 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  8. ↑ Virgin Atlantic Operates Relief Flight To Islamabad, Pakistan

Bibliography

Media related to Benazir Bhutto International Airport at Wikimedia Commons

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