Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) President Engineer Muhammad Saeed Sheikh said that a new airport in Faisalabad is necessary to cater the needs of people. He said that the current government should immediately approve it.
Why airport should be approved?
- Faisalabad is essential industrial, business and commercial center of Pakistan
- Faisalabad is exporting textile products worth $6 billion, which are 55 percent of the total textile exports of Pakistan.
- Export of non-textile products have also increased in Faisalabad
- CPEC projects would increase demand for products in Faisalabad
- Technical textile products are expected to be imported along with already established export market of cotton, fabrics, knitwear bed-sheets and home textiles
- Air cargo is also expected to rise along with export items
- 299,296 passengers were accommodated in Faisalabad airport in 2016-17 which makes it congested and insufficient. The load is expected to increase in couple of years.
- Existing airport insufficient to manage landing of wide-bodied aero planes
- Parking of just 2,3 airplanes available at a time
- PIA, Emirates, Gulf Air, Ittehad, Oman Air, Turkish Air and Saudi Air lines are accommodating air cargo of 25 flights a week with just 40 tons of cargo capacity.
