Pakistan’s largest airport finally opens in Islamabad after delay of decades Tuesday May 01,2018

The Islamabad International Airport was finally inaugurated on Tuesday May 01,2018, after years of delays and controversies over kickbacks and substandard equipment.

Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi inaugurated the airport, expressing hope that the first greenfield airport of Pakistan would eventually emerge as one of Asia’s major aviation hubs after its operationalisation. Spanning over 4,238 acres, the airport consists of a four-level passenger terminal, two runways and parking bays for wide-body aircraft.

Constructed at a cost of more than Rs 100 billion, the IIA is the largest airport of Pakistan and is connected to the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

It is capable of serving nine million passengers and 50,000 metric tonne of cargo every year in its first phase, while the modular design enables expansion to serve up to 25 million passengers per year by 2025.

IIA was conceived in 1984 and land was acquired in Fateh Jang to ease the load at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport