No plane landed at Bannu Airport since 1999
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Pakistan has a unique airport in the northern city of Bannu which has all the features of an airport like helipad, runway, and management offices but since 1999 to till this date, no plane has ever landed at this airport because the upgradation work is lingering, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Saturday.
The TV channel reported that the Bannu Airport is closed for the last 21 years despite the approval of funds for the upgradation of the airport.
It is pertinent to note that in Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government, then Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi approved Rs715 million for the upgradation of Bannu Airport project.
The then Federal Minister for Housing and Works Akram Khan Durrani said, “Approval of upgradation of Bannu Airport will play a pivotal role in facilitating the people of Bannu and adjacent areas and will open new avenues for local people.”
The CDWP had approved the release of Rs715 million for the upgradation and extension of Bannu Airport for A-320/B-737 aircraft operations.
Interestingly, the PML-N government approved funds for the Bannu airport but when the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government came into power in 2018, the upgradation work has not seen the light of the day.
Bannu Airport is situated six nautical miles (11 km) west of the city centre of Bannu, in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) does not have any scheduled flight to this airport.