Begum Nusrat Bhutto International Airport Explained

Begum Nusrat Bhutto International Airport Sukkur
Ensign:Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) Logo.png
Iata:SKZ
Icao:OPSK
Mapframe:yes
Type:Military/Public
Owner:Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority
Operator:Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority
City-Served:Sukkur, Sibi, Jacobabad, Khairpur, Ghotki
Location:Sukkur-65200
Elevation-F:196
Elevation-M:60
Pushpin Map:Sindh#Pakistan
Pushpin Label Position:bottom
Pushpin Label:SKZ
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of airport in Pakistan
R1-Number:14/32
R1-Length-F:9,000
R1-Length-M:2,743
R1-Surface:Bitumen
Stat-Year:2017-18
Stat1-Header:Passengers
Stat1-Data:114,081
Stat2-Header:Passenger change
Stat2-Data:6.5%
Stat3-Header:Aircraft movements
Stat3-Data:2,461

The Sukkur Airport, also known as Begum Nusrat Bhutto International Airport Sukkur, is a domestic airport located in Sukkur, Sindh, Pakistan. It is a medium-sized airport located about from the centre of Sukkur, and serves Sukkur and its surrounding areas; Khairpur, Jacobabad, Sibi, and Shikarpur.[1]

Sukkur International Airport is the second main operational airport in Sindh, after Jinnah International Airport, Karachi.[2] The paved runway is about 2,700 metres long. It also handles international flights, especially in time of emergencies and because of bad weather conditions.[3]

It is the main alternative to Karachi's Jinnah International Airport, with a distance of about, well under an hour's flight time by turboprop aircraft, and less than 35 minutes by jet.

It was built in 1942 and was originally known as Sukkur Aerodrome, and was used as a military airfield by the British Raj. The airport was renamed as Sukkur Airport in 1980. On 26 January 2012, the Provincial Assembly of Sindh unanimously passed a resolution to name the airport after Nusrat Bhutto (), a former first lady of Pakistan in the 1970s.[4]

During Hajj season every year, Hajj flights operate from Sukkur to Jeddah and Medina in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and back.[5] The first Hajj flight from the Begum Nusrat Bhutto Airport, Sukkur, left for Jeddah on 6 August 2016. The Hajj flight operation continued until 13 August 2016.[6]

Planned upgrades and expansion

In September 2022, the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority assigned the upgrade and expansion project of the Begum Nusrat Bhutto Airport Sukkur to the National Engineering Services Pakistan.[7] According to the plan, the airport is planned to be turned into an international airport for wide-body aircraft with all allied facilities. The renovation project includes extension of the runway and the taxiway, reconstruction of the apron and terminal building, along with other related facilities.[8] [9] [10] [11]

International Status

In September 2022, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) accelerated the process of granting international status to Begum Nusrat Bhutto Airport (BNBA) in Sukkur.

After getting international status, it will be the second international airport in Sindh.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Pakistan Aviation news . twitter.com.
  2. Web site: Uddin . Salah . 2022-11-17 . Sukkur, DI Khan airports to get international status . 2022-12-02 . ARY NEWS . en-US.
  3. Web site: 2022-11-24 . PIA plane makes emergency landing at Islamabad airport . 2022-12-02 . The Nation . en.
  4. Web site: 2012-01-26 . Welcome to the Website of Provincial Assembly of Sindh . 2022-11-19 . Provincial Assembly of Sindh.
  5. Web site: 24 November 2006 . Hajj flights from Pakistani cities start operation . https://web.archive.org/web/20210624200900/https://www.spa.gov.sa/405777 . 2021-06-24 . Saudi Press Agency.
  6. Web site: 2016-07-21 . Meeting held to finalise Haj flights from Sukkur . 2022-11-18 . . en.
  7. Web site: 2022-11-10 . Nespak consultancy for mega CAA projects . 2022-11-10 . . en.
  8. Web site: 2022-11-09 . PCAA assigns NESPAK mega development projects . 2022-11-10 . . en-US.
  9. Web site: 2022-11-10 . Three uplift projects in aviation sector launched . 2022-11-10 . . en.
  10. Web site: 2022-11-10 . NESPAK to work on aviation sector’s mega development projects . 2022-11-10 . . en.
  11. Web site: 2022-11-10 . PCAA assigns task of mega uplift projects to Nespak . 2022-11-10 . . en.