Monitoring Desk: “Ghost Town”, “A runway to nowhere”, “Ghost Airport” and “Mystery to locals” phrases are not chosen from a horror fiction rather these are from an article titled “PAKISTAN’S $240M “GHOST AIRPORT” HAS NO PLANES, NO PASSENGERS, NO POINT” published by several western media hubs.
The storyline is like a horror fiction, and an excellent horror movie can be produced out of this article soon indeed. Horror fiction is a genre of literature, film, or television that aims to scare or disturb its audience.
The phrases mentioned above can tell the readers what this article could be, therefore there is no need to reproduce the article before doing Fact Check.
The writer in this article tries to establish that China built the Gwadar Airport, owns it, but nobody’s using it. However, facts are otherwise and they are as:
The New Gwadar International Airport (NGIAP) officially commenced its operations on January 20, 2025, with all flights shifting from the old Gwadar Airport to this new state-of-the-art facility in the area. Since then, the airport has been handling scheduled domestic flights, international flights, and non-scheduled or chartered operations, with Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) operating three weekly domestic flights to Gwadar and two weekly international flights from Gwadar to Muscat.
The airport is fully equipped for 24/7 operations, including night-time and wide-body aircraft handling, supported by its 3,658-meter-long runway, capable of accommodating large aircraft such as the A380. The airport also offers modern infrastructure to facilitate future expansion.
The NGIAP is strategically linked to the Makran Coastal Highway and Gwadar Port via the Eastbay Expressway, ensuring seamless connectivity for both passengers and cargo. The facility to handle cargo operations will be completed this year, with dedicated spaces for cold storage, warehousing, and air freight facilities available for future expansion, attracting interest from ground handling agencies. The fuelling services for all types of aircraft further strengthen the airport’s operational capabilities.
As a newly inaugurated airport, NGIAP is gaining momentum, with increasing airline interest and expanding services. With each step forward, NGIAP is poised to become a key aviation hub in the region, connecting Pakistan to regional and global markets.
The airport is set to create an enabling environment for the investors and business community by complementing the trade through the deep sea port of Gwadar and TIR operations to Central Asia, Europe and Russia through Iran.
The complete ecosystem in Gwadar including port, airport, coastal highway and other allied infrastructure is contributing towards socio-economic uplift of the area through creation of direct and indirect jobs for the locals and development of education and health facilities beside others.
The Law Enforcement Agencies of Pakistan are making all out efforts to provide a secure environment in the area through an integrated and well-coordinated security mechanism to thwart any type of threat, emanating from land or sea.
