Daily Times

Irfan Iqbal Sheikh, President FPCCI, has demanded that the federal government should decisively proceed towards enabling Sukkur airport for international flights; which happens to be a longstanding demand of the business community of the Sindh province.

Irfan Iqbal Sheikh has apprised that Sukkur has geographical contiguity with eight big or small districts of Sindh with at a distance of merely of 30 – 45 minutes; and, Sukkur has all the potential to be an important spot for promoting business, industrial and trade activities. Upgradation of Sukkur airport will result in economic upliftment of the entire province, he added.

Irfan Iqbal Sheikh said that Sukkur is located right after Khairpur and it has Khairpur Special Economic Zone (KSEZ); and, KSEZ would also require Sukkur airport to have direct international flights to attract international investors. He added that when the KSEZ starts its operations and finds itself without an international airport in close proximity, it will badly hamper the prospects and potential of the SEZ. FPCCI Chief has asked for the attention of Khawaja Saad Rafique, federal minster for aviation, to instruct the officials in civil aviation authority (CAA) to prepare the feasibility and come up with a practical timeframe to transform Sukkur airport into an international airport. Irfan Iqbal Sheikh has appreciated aviation minister’s directives to CAA to design a better and efficient flight schedule to facilitate the domestic flights to Sukkur airport to benefit the substantive business community in Sukkur and eight adjacent districts collectively.