Pakistan’s newest and most costly airport is somewhat of a mystery since it has neither passengers nor aircraft. It is unclear when New Gwadar International Airport, which is $240 million in total and entirely financed by China, will open for operations.
Completed in October 2024 and situated in the coastal city of Gwadar, the airport stands in sharp contrast to the surrounding impoverished and unrest-plagued southwestern Balochistan province.
As part of the multibillion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, or CPEC, which links its western Xinjiang province with the Arabian Sea, China has been investing heavily in Balochistan and Gwadar for the past ten years.
Though there is little indication of change in Gwadar, authorities have praised it as transformative. There is not enough clean water, and the city is not connected to the national grid; its electricity comes from solar panels or neighboring Iran.
GWADAR, Pakistan (AP) — With no passengers and no planes, Pakistan’s newest and most expensive airport is a bit of a mystery. Entirely financed by China to the tune of $240 million, it’s anyone’s guess when New Gwadar International Airport will open for business.
Located in the coastal city of Gwadar and completed in October 2024, the airport is a stark contrast to the impoverished, restive southwestern Balochistan province around it.
For the past decade, China has poured money into Balochistan and Gwadar as part of a multibillion dollar project that connects its western Xinjiang province with the Arabian Sea, called the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor or CPEC.
Authorities have hailed it as transformational but there’s scant evidence of change in Gwadar. The city isn’t connected to the national grid — electricity comes from neighboring Iran or solar panels — and there isn’t enough clean water.
An airport with a 400,000 passenger capacity isn’t a priority for the city’s 90,000 people.
“This airport is not for Pakistan or Gwadar,” said Azeem Khalid, an international relations expert who specializes in Pakistan-China ties. “It is for China, so they can have secure access for their citizens to Gwadar and Balochistan.”AP