PAA confirms upgrade of DG Khan Airport for larger aircraft
Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) has announced the upgrade of Dera Ghazi Khan Airport to facilitate Airbus A320 operations, with project completion targeted by the end of next year.
The announcement was made during the Authority's monthly e-Kacheri session, chaired by Deputy Director General Works and Development, Sumair Saeed.
Speaking during the live session, Saeed highlighted that the planned enhancement of Dera Ghazi Khan Airport will significantly improve regional connectivity and allow for the operation of larger aircraft, a long-standing demand of both the local community and airline operators.
PIA inducts 11th Airbus A320 into fleet
The upgrade is expected to open new routes and increase flight frequency, ultimately contributing to the socioeconomic development of South Punjab.
In addition to the developments in Dera Ghazi Khan, Saeed shared that improvement works are also planned for Bacha Khan International Airport in Peshawar. These include upgrades to the airside infrastructure and expansion of parking facilities, aimed at improving passenger experience and accommodating growing traffic at the facility.
Addressing regional air connectivity, the Deputy DG revealed that a business proposal has been floated to various airlines, offering incentives to initiate flights between Gwadar and destinations in Punjab and other regions. The move is part of a broader strategy to make underutilised airports commercially viable and strengthen national connectivity.
Saeed also took the opportunity to respond to public grievances raised during the e-Kacheri, including complaints related to flight delays, missing baggage, and inappropriate behaviour by airline staff.
He directed that all such issues be compiled and forwarded to the Civil Aviation Authority with a comprehensive report for appropriate action. In a proactive health and safety measure, he further instructed that tetanus injections be included in all airport first-aid kits, following a complaint from a passenger at Lahore airport.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Recorder
3 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Pakistan Economic Survey: Economic performance misrepresented: PTI
ISLAMABAD: The opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Monday strongly criticised the Economic Survey for the fiscal year 2024-25, dismissing the reported 2.7% GDP growth rate as both embarrassing and manipulated. The opposition party accused the government of misrepresenting the country's economic performance ahead of the annual budget, due to be presented in the National Assembly Tuesday. Speaking at a presser, PTI spokesman Sheikh Waqas Akram said: 'At least 30 million people in Pakistan have fallen below the poverty line. These were the very people brought in by the current regime to fix the economy, yet they ended up extinguishing household stoves instead.' The remarks came shortly after Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb unveiled the Economic Survey for 2024-25, which reported GDP growth of 2.7% and an inflation rate of 4.6% for the outgoing fiscal year. According to the finance minister, the economy had begun to recover after the 2023 fiscal year and was showing signs of stability and consolidation moving into 2025. The survey, released a day ahead of the 2025-26 federal budget, provides an overview of Pakistan's socio-economic performance, including GDP trends, tax revenue, industrial output, and other fiscal indicators. Akram challenged the government's economic claims, drawing comparisons with growth under the PTI-led administration of former prime minister Imran Khan. 'They used to scoff at the 6.5% growth rate achieved under our government. But over the past three years, the average growth has been only 1.5%,' he said. Describing the current figures as 'fake and misleading,' he likened the growth numbers to Form-47 – a reference to alleged rigging during the 8 February general elections. He also questioned the credibility of the Economic Survey for 2024-25, saying it failed to reflect the economic hardships being faced by the general population. 'The people have become economically orphaned under this government,' he claimed. Akram further cited a reported 13.5% decline in the agriculture sector, accusing the government of pursuing policies that were anti-farmer and, in his words, akin to enmity with the nation. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
9 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Economic Survey: Economic performance misrepresented: PTI
ISLAMABAD: The opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Monday strongly criticised the Economic Survey for the fiscal year 2024-25, dismissing the reported 2.7% GDP growth rate as both embarrassing and manipulated. The opposition party accused the government of misrepresenting the country's economic performance ahead of the annual budget, due to be presented in the National Assembly Tuesday. Speaking at a presser, PTI spokesman Sheikh Waqas Akram said: 'At least 30 million people in Pakistan have fallen below the poverty line. These were the very people brought in by the current regime to fix the economy, yet they ended up extinguishing household stoves instead.' The remarks came shortly after Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb unveiled the Economic Survey for 2024-25, which reported GDP growth of 2.7% and an inflation rate of 4.6% for the outgoing fiscal year. According to the finance minister, the economy had begun to recover after the 2023 fiscal year and was showing signs of stability and consolidation moving into 2025. The survey, released a day ahead of the 2025-26 federal budget, provides an overview of Pakistan's socio-economic performance, including GDP trends, tax revenue, industrial output, and other fiscal indicators. Akram challenged the government's economic claims, drawing comparisons with growth under the PTI-led administration of former prime minister Imran Khan. 'They used to scoff at the 6.5% growth rate achieved under our government. But over the past three years, the average growth has been only 1.5%,' he said. Describing the current figures as 'fake and misleading,' he likened the growth numbers to Form-47 – a reference to alleged rigging during the 8 February general elections. He also questioned the credibility of the Economic Survey for 2024-25, saying it failed to reflect the economic hardships being faced by the general population. 'The people have become economically orphaned under this government,' he claimed. Akram further cited a reported 13.5% decline in the agriculture sector, accusing the government of pursuing policies that were anti-farmer and, in his words, akin to enmity with the nation. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Express Tribune
10 hours ago
- Express Tribune
PTI rejects Economic Survey as 'IMF script'
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Monday blasted the government's Economic Survey, accusing it of misrepresenting indicators and delivering a budget shaped entirely by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Leader of the Opposition Omar Ayub, PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram and PTI MNA Mubeen Arif Jutt held a joint press conference at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House. Citing media reports, the opposition leaders claimed that the number of people living below the poverty line has surged to 45 per cent, up from 35 per cent, with approximately 30 million people now classified as impoverished. "This entire budget has been handed down by the IMF this Economic Survey is basically a Form 47 document," Omar Ayub alleged, referring to the controversial election form and manipulated figures in the February 8 general elections. "Pakistan's purchasing power has collapsed. In 2022, someone earning Rs50,000 now effectively earns Rs22,000." Ayub further claimed that wheat prices have risen by 50 per cent over the last three years, citing comparisons from the Bureau of Statistics' two-year datasets. "Poverty has reached 44.7 per cent. Planning budget worth 80 per cent remained unutilised and lapsed." "And we need to ask: Has the number of four-legged donkeys increased or the two-legged ones?" Addressing the media, Sheikh Waqas Akram lambasted the government's performance. He said the poor have been rattled to their bones, adding that reports reveal that the poverty has jumped from 35 to 45 per cent. "There was no earthquake or natural disaster in these three years that could explain the collapse in agriculture, and yet it has tanked." He noted that 37 per cent of the population is linked to agriculture, and "their backs have been broken". Waqas also recalled a moment from an NFC meeting, where Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's provincial finance minister reportedly asked how electricity growth was being calculated. "The reply? They are counting electricity generated from solar panels installed on people's rooftops over which the government has no control." "Inflation hasn't eased. For the first time, 30 per cent of livestock remained unsold during Eid. In the last three years, three million people have left the country. When we left government, the debt stood at Rs43,500 billion. Since then, another Rs31,500 billion has been borrowed." "This budget is not the government's it is dictated by the IMF. This Economic Survey is Form 47, not reality." PTI MNA Mubeen Arif Jutt, also speaking at the presser, referred to the comment by the finance minister suggesting that the policy rate should be halved. "If the government is serious about revival, it must take responsibility instead of relying on window dressing," he said.
