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New airport celebrates first birthday

By Mubasher Bukhari

LAHORE: Allama Iqbal International Airport completed the first year of its operation on Thursday, earning Rs 1.4 billion, Rs 114 million more than last year’s income from the old terminal.

Last year, 77,400 international and 14,1240 domestic flights took off from the old terminal. During its first year, the new airport handled 86,640 international and 160,800 domestic flights. Passenger capacity at the new terminal is much higher, with 732,879 international and 656,765 domestic passengers using the new terminal during its first year. 644,247 international and 607,087 domestic passengers flew and landed at the old terminal last year.

Allama Iqbal Airport was built as an international-standard terminal, with several facilities that weren’t previously available to air passengers coming to or leaving Lahore. It has seven modern passengers boarding bridges, an automatic guidance system for aircraft parking, underground fuel hydrant system for aircraft, automatic weather observation system, aircraft power supply system, improved airport lighting system and system to control temperature and fresh air at different zones of the building.

Civil Aviation Authority Airport Manager Nusratullah Khan told Daily Times that the CAA had launched a website (www.caapakistan.com.pk) through which people could get flight schedules.

Mr Khan said the CAA had done its best to make life easier for travellers inside and outside the terminal. “People had been complaining about transport problem and high cab fares so we have regularised the taxis and established complaint cells to redress passenger grievances,” he said. He said the CAA would also launch a public/staff canteen in a month. He said that the CAA would increase the facilities at the airport soon to make it even better.

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