Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Faisal Karim Kundi on Friday said that the efforts were being accelerated to restore commercial operations at Dera Ismail Khan Airport, adding that the facility would soon be made operational for ATR flights after completion of the remaining development work.
The governor expressed these views during his visit to Dera Ismail Khan Airport.
The officials of the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) briefed him on the airport’s current condition and ongoing rehabilitation measures.
Talking to media representatives, Kundi thanked Defence Minister Khawaja Asif for his support regarding the revival of Dera Airport and said runway carpeting had already been completed, while additional work was in progress to restore regular flight operations.
He said Dera Airport had remained closed since 2015 and emphasized the need to overcome shortages of technical equipment and staff at the earliest. He added that audit and safety assessments were necessary before resuming commercial services.
The governor expressed hope that the defence minister would soon announce the complete restoration of commercial flight operations. He said meetings with South Air officials would also discuss launching flights for Dera Ismail Khan and Chitral.
Kundi said that the private airlines would be encouraged to expand operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to improve regional connectivity. He further stated that the proposed Green Field International Airport would be constructed on more than 1,700 acres of land with an annual passenger handling capacity of over one million.
Rejecting suggestions to relocate the airport to Pezu, Lakki Marwat or Bannu, the governor said the area near Yarik was the most suitable location for serving the wider region.
He also announced that the work on the dual carriageway project for the N-55 Dera-Parowa road would begin soon, adding that the tendering process had already been completed.
On constitutional matters, the governor said that no formal draft of the proposed 28th Constitutional Amendment had yet surfaced and reiterated that the Pakistan Peoples Party carefully reviews all constitutional matters before presenting its recommendations as it had given suggestions on 27th amendment.