Gwadar port to be linked to airport via expressway

Islamabad and Beijing have agreed on the construction of an expressway connecting Gwadar to a new airport being developed by China in the coastal town in Balochistan.

“Pakistan and China on Thursday agreed on the construction of an expressway connecting the Gwadar Port with the new Gwadar Airport,” it was reported on Thursday after meetings between Chinese officials and Pakistani Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, who is on a visit to China. “Additionally, feasibility studies for new motorways, including the Mirpur-Muzaffarabad and Karachi-Hyderabad routes, were agreed to be initiated at the earliest.”

In a statement earlier this month, the Pakistan Airports Authority reiterated its commitment to opening the New Gwadar International Airport by the end of December, after the start of operations at the airport in Balochistan was pushed back for a security review following deadly attacks by militants in the area in August. The airport will handle domestic and international flights, according to Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority, and will be one of the country’s biggest airports.

China has pledged over $65 billion in infrastructure, energy and other projects in Pakistan under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Part of President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative, the program in Pakistan is also developing the deep-water port close to the new $200-million airport in Gwadar, a joint venture between Pakistan, Oman and China that is close to completion.