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Multan Airport (IATA: MUX, ICAO: OPMT) is an airport situated 10 km away from the city centre of Multan in Punjab, Pakistan. It is not as large as the other airports in Pakistan, as it operates to cater mainly to the population of Multan, Vehari, Khanewal, Muzaffargarh, Rajanpur, Sahiwal, and Pakpattan.
[edit] HistoryMultan Airport traces its origins to the British Empire, when the Royal Air Force used the open space to fly in and out of the Multan region during 1919. The area was used for aircraft that were able to land on gravel and grass surfaces, however, there was very little development to the area. In 1934, Imperial Airways started to use the airfield for civil aircraft flights since Multan was considered a strategic position within the Punjab province of India. It was not until 1938 that Imperial Airways started to operate a regular flight out of Multan. The flight would originate at Lahore, then fly into Multan, where it would continue its journey to Jacobabad and then Karachi. Following independence, the airline Pak Air started operations from the airport and the Multan Flying Club was formed. Since the formation of the national carrier, Pakistan International Airlines, in 1957 PIA started operations from Multan using the Douglas DC-3 aircraft. In 1863, due to growth of the number of flights and larger aircraft requirements, the runway, taxi-ways and aprons where carpeted using the material bitumen. A new control tower was constructed to meet the technological changes of new aircraft traffic control systems. In 1971, since PIA had acquired Boeing aircraft, the runway was extended to 9000' by 100' to handle heavier aircraft and more passengers. The terminal building was also extended in 1977 which also saw the operations of Boeing 720 aircraft operations from Multan. In 1980-88, the runway was strengthened and re-carpeted for the arrival of Airbus aircraft especially the Airbus A300. During 1999, PIA as well as Aero Asia International gave Multan an international status by operating flights to the Middle East such as Dubai and Kuwait. To cater for the Multani population living or traveling to more lucrative destinations. In 2005, the local government and the CAA decided to upgrade the airport terminal and airfield to meet international standards with emphasis on the runway, terminal building, facilities as well as apron areas. On 15 December 2006, Shaheen Air started four weekly flights from Karachi to Multan. Shaheen Air was the first airline in the private sector to operate flights to Multan.[1] The airport reported an operating profit of Rs1 Billion in 2007.[2] The airport is also being considered for Hajj and umrah flights to Saudi Arabia which is expected to generate more revenue as well as growth of international routes out of Multan. [edit] StructureSince the airport mainly caters to the population of Multan and its surrounding towns. The airport is made up of an international and domestic departures and arrivals area. The arrival lounge can handle up to 135 passengers. It is made up of a few snack shops with one moving conveyor belt system. The departures lounge can handle up to 300 passengers. It has a prayer room, toilets as well as an allocated Prayer Area. The check-in area has roughly fifty counters and can handle two narrow body aircraft at one time. There is a CIP lounge to handle premium and VIP guests traveling through the airport. Multan's ILS/VOR/NDB equipped runway 36/18 (with dimensions 9900' X 100') is certified to accept all aircraft types up to Airbus A310 aircraft. This certification includes both length/width based certifications as well as the load classification number (LCN) certification for the runway. The taxiways and current apron are still fully certified to allow the A320 aircraft and at times, have enabled the airport to be used as an alternate for Karachi or Lahore flights which operate the Airbus A320 aircraft. During the expansion project, both the length and width of the runway would be enhanced to 10,500 feet and 150 feet. The original upgrade plan was to build a brand new airport facility at a new location away from the original airport, however, due to the unavailability of land this proposal was dropped. The new proposal will involve upgrading the current airport with new terminals, taxi-ways and runways. The CAA of Pakistan has earmarked on a Rs. 4.5million project, to upgrade and improve Multan Airport. The plan is to expand the existing Multan airport facility so that wide-bodied aircraft could land and take off for direct international passenger and cargo flights. [3] The proposed improvements include extension of runway from 9,000 to 11,000 feet, increasing the width of runway to 150 feet with 25 feet shoulders on each side, thus the runway will be upgraded to Category E (Suitable for Boeing 747 aircraft). Other improvements will include expansion of terminal buildings. The first phase of the work will start in spring 2008. The project consists of two phases. In the first phase, expansion of runway, taxi-way and apron will be carried out at an estimated cost of Rs 1.8 billion; while the second phase includes construction of a new terminal building and the allied facilities.[4] The completion of the project will allow more frequent flights to international destinations as well as wide body aircraft to operate from the airport. During April 11, 2009, the ground breaking ceremony was held. The Prime Minister of Pakistan, unvieled the plaque and the plan of the new state of the art terminal facility was presented. The new facility is expected to generate more domestic and international flights but more importantly cargo flights to expand the economy of the South Punjab region. The project is expected to reach the completion of Phase 1 by October 2010.[5] [edit] Airlines and destinations[edit] Domestic
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