The purpose with which the new Gadar International Airport was built, has been defeated with no passengers and no planes. Pakistan‘s newest and most expensive airport situated in the coastal city of Gwadar remains empty and out of use by the people of the region. The construction of the airport was entirely financed by China and completed its construction in October 2024, after a total investment of USD 240 million.
The new airport connects the western Xinjiang province of China with the Arabian Sea. This new glittering airport is a stark contrast to the adjoining impoverished southwest province of Baluchistan. The port city does not have proper connectivity to the national electricity grid and borrows electricity from the neighbouring country of Iran or solar panels. There is a lack of infrastructural connectivity as well which has made the use of the new airport by the 90,000 residents of Gwadar city hardly possible. The Gwadar airport has a capacity of 400,000 passengers.
China’s Interest in the Baluch Region
For a decade now, China has been constantly pouring money into Baluchistan and Gwadar as part of its multi-billion dollar project called the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor or CPEC. Experts suggest that the airport was not meant for Pakistan or Gwadar. Instead, it secures Chinese citizens access to Baluchistan and the adjoining Arabian Sea. Since Baluchistan is strategically located along with being resource-rich, the members of Pakistan’s ethnic Baluch minority say that the government has tried to make a profit at the expense of locals. The area has also seen decades-long insurgency by separates and other aggrieved who have tried to register descent against the CPEC. However, another fraction of locals want CPEC to succeed so that locals, especially young people, find employment and purpose in their lives. However, their desire remains unfulfilled up till now.
Meanwhile, The Pakistani government is keen on protecting China’s investment by stepping up its military footprint in the port city to counter any insurgency or armed dissent.
