Gwadar International Airport گوادر بین الاقوامی ہوائی اڈا (Urdu) گوادر میان اُستمانی بالی پٹ (Balochi)
IATA: GWD ICAO: OPGD
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Pakistan
Operator	Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority
Serves	Gwadar, Balochistan, Pakistan
Location	Gwadar Port-91200
Opened	1966 (58 years ago) (1966)
Hub for	Pakistan International Airlines
Elevation AMSL	28 ft / 8.40 m
Coordinates	25°13′56″N 062°19′38″E / 25.23222°N 62.32722°E / 25.23222; 62.32722
Website	caapakistan.com.pk/timeline/gawadar/timeline-gawadar.aspx
Maps
Location in Gwadar
GWD/OPGW Location of airport in Gwadar Show map of Balochistan, Pakistan GWD/OPGW GWD/OPGW (Pakistan) Show map of Pakistan GWD/OPGW GWD/OPGW (Asia) Show map of Asia
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 06/24 2,000 6,500 Asphalt
Statistics (2017-18[4])
Passengers 33,948 Passenger change 16.9% Aircraft movements 828 15.9% Sources: AIP Pakistan[1] and DAFIF[2][3]

Gwadar International Airport (IATA: GWD, ICAO: OPGD) (Balochi: گوادر میان اُستمانی بالی پٹ, Urdu: گوادر بین الاقوامی ہوائی اڈا) is an international airport situated 14 km (9 miles) north of the city centre of Gwadar,^[1] in the Balochistan province of Pakistan.

History

The history of the airport is traced back to 1958 when the Government of Pakistan bought Gwadar from Muscat’s Sultan.^[5] Air operations started in 1966. The airport gained international status when two weekly flights from Karachi to Muscat via Gwadar were initiated with Fokker F-27 aircraft.^[when?] The terminal building was inaugurated in 1984 and the airport was established as a domestic airport and considered to be the biggest airport of Balochistan which facilitates the passengers especially the people of Gwadar. The new departure/VIP lounges were opened in 2008.^{[citation needed]}

The current airport caters mainly to the population of Gwadar. Pakistan International Airlines, the main airline flying out of the airport, connects Gwadar to Karachi, Turbat, Quetta, Peshawar, Islamabad, Lahore, Dubai, Doha, Kuwait City, Riyadh, Tehran, Mashhad, Bahrain and Muscat. Other airlines had recently launched their flights to Gwadar and currently had been doing pretty well due to successful performance. These included Oman Air, which flew to Muscat using ATR 42 aircraft, and airblue, which started twice daily flights to Karachi through its joint venture partner JS Air.

Structure

• Apron
  • Four narrow-body aircraft can park at the apron at one time. Every type of jet can land here.^{[citation needed]}
• Lounges
  • One domestic and one International lounge.
  • One CIP/VIP lounge for premium and executive passengers. (newly inaugurated in 2008)
• Additional
  • Facility for prayer available; separate for ladies and gents.
  • Fire services, NDB, standby generators are available.
  • 24-hour priority notice for unexpected arrival into the airport.

Airlines and destinations

New Gwadar International Airport

The New Gwadar International Airport (NGIA) is being built and will be country's biggest and is expected to be inaugurated by the Chinese leader Xi Jinping.^[6] Occupying 4,300 acres (17 km²) of land, it is located in Gurandani, 26 km north-east of the existing airport in Gwadar City on the south-western Arabian Sea coast of Balochistan region.^[7][8][9]

It will have a single runway with 3,658 metres of length and a width of 75 metres that will have the capacity to accommodate wide bodied aircraft. A taxiway of 23 metres length alongside a 10.5 metre paved shoulders for both sides.^[9] The airport will also have the capacity to build a second runway to the north of the first runway. An Air Traffic Control (ATC) Tower, crash, fire and rescue facilities will be built as well as a fuel farm. It will be constructed at a cost of Rs55.4 billion.^[10]