The Ministry of Defence has revealed that 10 airports across Pakistan are currently non-operational, with some having been closed for over a decade. The disclosure was made in a written reply to a question raised by MNA Sophia Saeed Shah in the National Assembly.
The list of non-operational airports includes Khuzdar (closed since 2002), Muzaffarabad (2006), Rawalakot (2006), Bannu (2002), Parachinar (2002), Jiwani (2004), Omara (2010), Sehwan Sharif (2010), Sibi (2010), and Dera Ismail Khan (2021).
According to the Ministry, these non-operational airports have a total staff of 2 officers and 65 personnel, with monthly salaries totaling over Rs12.5 million.
The defence ministry also addressed the issue of private airlines operating on secondary routes as outlined in the National Aviation Policy 2023. The policy mandates that scheduled carriers allocate at least 5% of their capacity to secondary routes or airports.Â
However, three private airlines were found to be in violation of these instructions. The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) issued show-cause notices and penalties to the airlines for failing to comply with the policy.
The PCAA emphasized that flight operations on secondary routes are contingent on passenger and cargo demand. Despite these challenges, the authority will continue to press airlines to operate on smaller routes to improve connectivity.
