Gwadar's Grandiose Gateway Grounds to a halt: Security issues stall China’s $250 million airport debut

Pakistan has delayed the opening of a new airport worth $246 million due to security concerns. The airport project in Gwadar, funded by China, has been put on hold with no new date set for its opening.

 

The project, initiated after a grant agreement with Beijing in 2015, has been fully prepared for flight operations, according to a source in the government who preferred to remain anonymous in comments to Nikkei. This is a setback for the country in its efforts to attract more Chinese investment to its struggling economy.

 

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was supposed to attend the launch of the New Gwadar International Airport (NGIA), located near a key port within the $50-billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). However, the scheduled inauguration on August 14, Pakistan’s Independence Day, was unexpectedly postponed because of security worries following extensive protests that disrupted activities in Gwadar.

 

The airport’s opening, which has been postponed once again following a previous delay last year, is due to worries that there may not be enough demand for flights to the area. This concern arises from the region’s history of deadly militant attacks and a separatist insurgency, leading to fears that the airport could become a costly project with little practical use.

 

Situated approximately 45 kilometres away from the Chinese-managed Gwadar port, the airport, with a single runway, covers an area of 4,300 acres (1,740 hectares) and has the capacity to accommodate large aircraft, such as an Airbus A380. This feature will make it the biggest airport in the country in terms of size, surpassing Islamabad’s main airport.

 

Gwadar is having trouble becoming a major hub, with just three weekly flights from Karachi, Pakistan’s main commercial city, to a smaller, nearby airport. These flights are often cancelled. Once the new airport opens, Chinese airlines are expected to run direct flights, but analysts say a big increase in demand is unlikely.

 

The opening of the NGIA was mostly symbolic and not profitable for airlines right now, Afsar Malik, an airline economics expert told Nikkei Asia. Pakistan has repeatedly said the multi-billion-dollar investment deal with China will turn Gwadar into the next Singapore. However, on Monday (August 19), the prime minister instructed that half of the government sea cargo, initially meant for Karachi, should be unloaded at Gwadar’s port instead, which highlights that Gwadar was being underutilized.

 

Some people worry that the area’s new transport hub may turn into another Mattala Rajapaksa International. This large Sri Lankan airport, built with Chinese loan, is often called the ‘world’s emptiest international airport’ because it has very few flights.

 

Vanity projects—impressive, but not very useful—are not new for the Chinese. They have built similar ones even at home with limited use, according to Mohammad Shoaib, an assistant professor at Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad. The Chinese are waiting patiently and the NGIA could be useful once Gwadar becomes active. Meanwhile, both the NGIA and the old Gwadar airport can serve other support operations from China.

 

This month, there were large protests in Gwadar by groups demanding civil, political and economic rights for locals in Balochistan, where Gwadar port is located. Beijing has become more cautious about future investments after Chinese workers in Pakistan were targeted in deadly attacks. The country is dealing with increased militant activity—from Islamists wanting to overthrow the government to separatists in Balochistan seeking independence.

 

Islamabad, facing economic challenges, has promised to increase security for workers and announced in June that it would start new counter-terrorism operations across the country. Although there are hopes that the new airport will attract more Chinese investment, some doubt it will significantly benefit the local population, which mostly consists of poor fishermen.

 

Mariyam Suleman, a Pakistani based in Canada, was quoted by Nikkei as having said that travelling by air was too costly for most of Gwadar’s locals and the airport was primarily meant for government officials, diplomats and foreign visitors—not the people from the area.

 

(The author of this article is a Defence, Aerospace & Political Analyst based in Bengaluru. He is also Director of ADD Engineering Components, India, Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany. You can reach him at: girishlinganna@gmail.com)