The New Gwadar International Airport was inaugurated on Monday and a Pakistan International Airlines flight landed early in the day to mark the beginning of the airport’s operations.

The inaugural flight, PK-503, took off from Karachi and was welcomed with a water salute when it landed in Gwadar at 11:15 am.

Defence and Aviation Minister Khawaja Asif, Balochistan Governor Jaffar Khan Mandokhail and Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti were at the airport to welcome the flight from Karachi which was carrying 46 passengers including several officials from the Aviation division.

In his address at the inauguration, Asif said that the Airport’s operations would help economic progress, regional tourism and international linkages.

A spokesperson for the Civil Aviation Authority said that the airport is now fully functional and has been properly staffed and equipped to handle international flights.

The New Gwadar International Airport is a flagship part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. The project was launched in 2019 and work continued for five years until completion in December 2024. The airport was labelled as a potential hub of regional connectivity by authorities during its completion.

The airport will have one of the most modern infrastructures of any airport in Pakistan and will be able to handle over 400,000 passengers annually. The airport has been equipped with state-of-the-art navigation and air control systems.

The 3.6-kilometre-long runway has ample room for some of the biggest planes used by international airlines including the Boeing 747 and the Airbus A380.

Situated in Gwadar’s Grandani area, the airport is spread over an area of 4,300 acres and was built at the cost of $246 million. The project was funded by the Government of Pakistan and the Pakistan Airports Authority as well as grants from the governments of Oman and China.