Sialkot International
Airport (SIAL), the first private
airport in Pakistan, is speedily being
constructed to start its operations by
April 2005. The idea of an airport was
conceived due to the necessity of
lessening transportation expenses,
adding security, speeding the export
process, and maintaining the quality of
goods manufactured and exported by a
major industrial Export Zone of
Pakistan: Sialkot, Gujranwala and Gujrat.
A private organization, SIAL (Sialkot
International Airport Limited), was
formed for the construction of the
airport by the Sialkot Chamber of
Commerce and Industry on March 24, 2001.
It has acquired an area of 1004 acres
west of Sialkot for building the
airport. This airport will be linked to
the Sambrial Dry Port, Sialkot Export
Processing Zone, as well as all the
major cities around Sialkot including
Gujrat and Gujranwala. The airport will
also be the closest one to cities like
Kharian, and Mirpur – which has one of
the highest shares of Pakistanis living
abroad.
SIAL will be running
the airport independently without any
financial or technical assistance from
the government. SIAL benefits from the
active involvement of top industrialists
and businessmen of the area. There will
be 200 directors of SIAL eventually,
with a personal investment of Rs. 5
million each. This will form a major
part of the total cost of Rs. 1.57
billion, while the rest will be
collected through the issuance of
shares. The airport plan has been
developed by hiring the expertise of
NESPAK, and meets all international
standards.
Major Features
• The major feature
of this airport is the 45 meter wide and
3,600 meter long runway – the longest in
Pakistan!
• Estimated cargo tonnage per year at
the time of opening in April 2005 is
expected to be 28515 tons. By 2014, this
is expected to increase to about 53000
tons.
• The potential traffic forecast for the
Sialkot International Airport is scaled
down at the time of opening in April
2005 to 530339 passengers per year. The
figure is estimated to increase to
797434 by year 2012.
Saving Time and
Money!
One of the many plus
points of Sialkot International airport
is its ideal location. The 1400 acre
airport site has road links to Wazirabad,
Gujrat, Gujranwala, Narowal, Sialkot
City, Sialkot Export Processing Zone and
the Sialkot Dry Port. Work on a shorter
route to Sialkot City is underway and a
comprehensive program for improving the
road links has been launched for
speedier access. The airport will also
be welcomed by local and foreign
businessmen and executives who will be
saved long road journeys from the
distant Lahore and Islamabad airports.
It is estimated that
the provision of passenger facilities at
Sialkot International Airport will yield
a benefit to the tune of over 2 billion
rupees to the general public in terms of
time and money! Cargo handling at the
airport would save over 1 billion rupees
for businesses. The total savings of at
least 3 billion rupees annually would be
a perpetual benefit!
Sialkot International
Airport will act as a catalyst for
speeding up the export processing in the
major industrial hub of Pakistan. It
will even provide facilitation for the
export and transportation of
agricultural products in the region,
which is low, mostly because of slow and
long transportation periods. The airport
will definitely provide the much needed
boost in the country’s sluggish economy!
CONTACT
Sialkot International Airport Limited
95-A Muradia Road
Model Town
Sialkot, Pakistan.
International Airport
