New Islamabad International Airport Project

[TAILWIND]

A friend travelling through ISB was very appreciative of overall facilities and gen lay out. One minor issue he pointed out was long queues at the entrance due to slow scrutiny of passenger documents by ASF. I also find this very irritating. All stakeholders must devise some way to improve this.

[Abbas Ali]

Slow moving lines of vehicles entering Islamabad International Airport - Islamabad.



Due to congested traffic at new Islamabad International Airport entry security checks, PIA has requested international flights passengers to report at least five hours before departure time.



Abbas

[Abbas Ali]

According to news report on following link, a privately owned cab service car was damaged by a hydraulic barrier that somehow got deployed by Airports Security Force (ASF) at new Islamabad International Airport. The cab driver has submitted complaint to the Chief Security Officer. The ASF has termed it as an accident.

https://www.nawaiwaqt.com.pk/E-Paper/is ... /detail-28

Abbas

[Abbas Ali]

The 25.6 kilometers long Peshawar Morr Interchange to new Islamabad International Airport metro bus track project is divided into four packages:

Package I
8 kilometers long. Five stations. 60% of package work completed.

Package II
3.8 kilometers long. Three stations. 32% of package work completed.

Package III
8.3 kilometers long. Two stations.

Package IV
5.5 kilometers long. Two stations.

Info source: https://www.nawaiwaqt.com.pk/E-Paper/is ... /detail-39

Abbas

[Abbas Ali]

According to news sources, today Chief Justice of Pakistan before departing on PIA flight PK-325 to Quetta reviewed departures and arrivals lounges of new Islamabad International Airport. He also checked FIA counters and arrangements for passengers at the airport.

Today, PIA Airbus A320 (AP-BLT) departed from Islamabad at 4:07 PM as flight PK-325 to Quetta. The flight's scheduled departure time was 4:00 PM.

https://www.flightradar24.com/data/flights/pk325

Abbas

[Amaad Lone]

How come other airports in the world do not face this kind of harsh security.

They first design a free flow 4 lane highway to the airport, then they block two lanes, divert the traffic into two lanes and then in the name of secuirty make people stand in line for hours.

Dubai does not have this shit, JFK does not have it, Heathrow does not have it.

Why not figure out a way to hit terrorist before they hit the airport. Why not create a tunnel before the airport that can sense weapons or ammunition and identify the car carrying the arms and the police can stop that particular car before it enters the airport.

Why bother thousands of travelers every day.

[Umar]

^ Why?
Simple: it's not that simple!!!!! This criticism is unjust

[Abbas Ali]

PIA withdraws announcement

RAWALPINDI: After realising that its announcement for international passengers to reach Islamabad International Airport five hours before their flight would cause hardship, PIA on Thursday withdrew it and said the passengers should follow the old timing of arriving at the airport three hours before departure.

The national flag carrier had made the announcement to avoid traffic congestion which it said was due to the strict security checks.

In a letter with its new logo of Markhor captioned “Special announcement”, PIA had stated: “In the light of the traffic congestion due to strict security checks at entry points of the new IIA, passengers are requested to report to the PIA counters at least five hours prior to the departure of their international flights.”

However, a PIA spokesman said the letter was mistakenly released; therefore, passengers are requested to follow the old timing to reach the airport.

Source: DAWN

[Abbas Ali]

Commuters to new airport stuck in long queues

RAWALPINDI: Hundreds of passengers had to wait for hours in long queues of vehicles for paying the toll tax and security clearance before their entry to Islamabad International Airport (11A) on Friday.

In addition, officials of the airport management and other agencies were also stuck in the queues.

`I was stuck in a queue of vehicles due to a toll booth erected at the junction of M1 and M2 and the vehicle inspection system installed by the ASF.

When National Highway Authority (NHA) spokesman Kashif Zaman was contacted, he said the problem had been brought to his notice. He said the NHA would take up the matter with the Frontier Works Orginisation (FWO) to streamline the toll collection so that long queues could be averted.

A senior airport official said the passengers had been complaining to the airport management about the toll tax and parking fee.

First they have to pay the toll tax before entering the airport and then parking fee inside the premises.

An angry passenger said he left home for the airport five hours before his international flight but was stuck in a long queue of vehicles.

Police think that the long queues of vehicles outside the airport could be a security risk.

Source: DAWN

[Abbas Ali]

Passengers/visitors blaming a toll plaza for long and slow moving lines of vehicles on the road to new Islamabad International Airport, according to DAWN News channel.

Abbas

[Tuti Fruiti]

do the passengers always have to pay toll when visiting the airport for years to come ??
looks like another type of money grabbing tactic from passengers

[faisal-777]

I dont live in Islamabad anymore but I dont think so that passengers have to pay toll, because toll plaza was moved around a year ahead, to avoid it getting into the way of airport. But if one uses motorway to get off the interchange next to ISB interchange, then yes one has to pay it.

[Tuti Fruiti]

ok..this seems coorect

[AP-BGL]

I dont live in Islamabad anymore but I dont think so that passengers have to pay toll, because toll plaza was moved around a year ahead, to avoid it getting into the way of airport. But if one uses motorway to get off the interchange next to ISB interchange, then yes one has to pay it.

Thallian Interchange (not yet operational) is the next available option to avoid long ques starting at the newly made toll plaza, once Thallian is operational load will most probably be shifted among these two entry points.

[arshad.altaf]

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE > OPINION > EDITORIAL
Fake security and Islamabad airport
https://tribune.com.pk/story/1710903/6- ... d-airport/

Last week, while entering the new gleaming Islamabad International Airport, I could not help but notice the airport security personnel still carrying small plastic devices with protruding steel antennas, while taking a quick walk up and down besides my car. The zeal and seriousness with which this security scan was performed was reassuring. I would have felt quite safe, had I not read the famous BBC story in 2014, bringing to light the fake bomb detectors.

The story covered the global scam that ripped multiple governments of millions of dollars, which bought scores of these useless plastic toys to secure their citizens. These devices had aerials that would swing according to the users’ unconscious hand movements and were either empty cases or were packed with fake circuits.

By the time the BBC story appeared, the man behind this scandal, James McCormick, was already jailed for 10 years, along with other accomplices. And most of the countries that had fallen victim to the scam realised their embarrassing mistake by then and pulled these devices off the ground. The BBC story, however, specifically mentioned Iraq, Djibouti and Pakistan amongst the countries that were still using them in 2014.