Mariyam Suleman Anees
On the sidelines of the recent Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Islamabad, Pakistan and China signed 13 agreements, covering a range of sectors including security, livelihood, education, agriculture, human resources development, and science and technology. However, the highlight of the meeting was the virtual inauguration by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his Chinese counterpart Li Qiang of the New Gwadar International Airport.
Built at a cost of $230 million, the airport is one of the projects under the $50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). It extends over an area of 17 square kilometers and is touted to be Pakistan’s second largest airport, designed to accommodate some of the world’s largest aircraft, including the ATR 72, Airbus A-300), Boeing 737, and Boeing 747. The airport is expected to create around 3,000 jobs.
However, the airport’s location in the sparsely populated province of Balochistan, particularly in Gwadar district, which has a population of just over 100,000, raises several questions regarding the airport’s ability to attract passengers and cargo traffic. Without sufficient demand, the airport risks becoming another underutilized airport similar to the Chinese-funded Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport in Sri Lanka. Given these concerns, it is essential to first assess how this project fits into the broader CPEC.
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