| Bacha Khan International Airport | |
| Image2-Width: | 250 |
| Iata: | PEW |
| Icao: | OPPS |
| Type: | Public |
| Elevation-F: | 1,158 |
| Elevation-M: | 353 |
| Coordinates: | 33.9939°N 71.5147°W |
| Image Map Caption: | Location in Peshawar |
| Pushpin Map: | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa#Pakistan#Asia |
| Pushpin Mapsize: | 280 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of Airport in Peshawar |
| Pushpin Label: | PEW/OPPS |
| R1-Number: | 17/35 |
| R1-Length-F: | 9,000 |
| R1-Length-M: | 2,743 |
| Stat-Year: | July 2021 - June 2022 |
| Stat1-Header: | Passengers |
| Stat1-Data: | 1,066,513 |
| Stat2-Header: | Passenger change |
| Stat3-Header: | Aircraft movements |
| Stat3-Data: | 7,452 |
| Stat4-Header: | Cargo handled |
| Stat4-Data: | 6,260 metric tons |
Bacha Khan International Airport, formerly known as Peshawar International Airport, is an international airport located in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Located in the southwestern end of the city of Peshawar, it is the fourth-busiest airport in Pakistan.
One of the main runways of the airport is crossed by a railway line known as the Khyber train safari, which runs to the town of Landi Kotal in the Khyber Pass for the express purpose of tourism. The airport was renamed on 27 January 2012 after Abdul Ghaffar Khan (nicknamed Bacha Khan), leader of the Khudai Khidmatgar and a prominent Pashtun Nationalist figure.[1] [2] The airport was extensively reconstructed from 2016 to 2018.
Strategically situated in the heart of Peshawar, Bacha Khan International Airport is located approximately 180 km from Islamabad (federal capital of Pakistan) which makes it about a two-hour drive from the capital via M-1 motorway. Since Peshawar is the capital of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, it provides world connections for the majority of the northwest region of the country and adjoining areas of Afghanistan. Since the province has a large Afghan Pashtun community residing within KPK, Afghanistan flights have always been on the rise.
The airport traces its origins to 1927 when there was a small airfield that catered to much of the British Empire and Imperial Airways aircraft that were either travelling onwards to the east (e.g. to China and Malaysia/Singapore) or west (e.g. Europe and America). For this reason the city was given the nickname "Gateway to the East" because it linked the traditional oriental culture to modern occidental traditions.
The airport gained importance after the independence of Pakistan from the British Raj; the Civil Aviation Authority of Pakistan (CAA) and the Pakistan Air Force started to use the airfield jointly for both military and civil operations. There were countless flights operated to and from Pakistan's largest city, Karachi, as well as other cities within the newly formed state.
The airport achieved international status in 1965 when the first flight was operated from Kabul, Afghanistan to Peshawar. The flight was operated by the national flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). As years went on the airport grew with more flights and aircraft and relative upgrade was carried out from time to time. It was not until 1981 that the CAA extended the terminal to meet future needs for the next decade and to meet the estimated growth of passengers. The apron was developed fully by 1986, where the airport was able to handle four widebody aircraft and two small narrow body aircraft at one time.
PIA commenced service to Birmingham in July 2004.[3] In January 2008 the provincial government met to discuss the expansion work needed to upgrade the quality of the aircraft in terms of facilities, terminal modernisation and cargo growth.[4] In June 2008 the Deputy Director General of the CAA, Air Vice Marshal Sajid Habib, said that five billion rupees have been allocated to expand and develop Peshawar airport. Details of the work performed are ambiguous.[5]
Peshawar is a major passenger hub with 75% flights internationally bound. The airport is currently under evaluation to be upgraded. The CAA is currently working with the provincial government to develop the airport to meet international standards. The airport has some facilities to handle the basic needs of travellers, such as telephone booths (domestic/international), currency exchange, automatic teller machines (ATMs), Internet stations (powered by Wateen), information counters, gifts and souvenir shops, snack shops, rental car services, and a post office.
The runway is long, wide with 10adj=midNaNadj=mid shoulders on either side corresponding to International Civil Aviation Organisation Category 4E. It is crossed by a (rarely-operational) railway line, one of the few such runways in the world. Max capacity: Boeing 777-300ER.There is nose-in parking for 4 wide-bodied aircraft at a time or 3 Airbus and 2 narrow-body aircraft at a time.The airport has 2 air bridges which were constructed in 2018.