Islamabad, Dec 7 (IANS): The New Gwadar International Airport is set to commence operations by the end of December, Acting Director General of the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA), Air Vice Marshal Zeeshan Saeed, said.

During his visit to the airport, the officer was briefed about the airport's cutting-edge features and the promising business and investment opportunities it is expected to generate in the future, Xinhua news agency reported quoting PAA.

The airport, a donation by China, is a 4F-grade state-of-the-art facility that can handle the largest civil aircraft. Its 3,658-metre-long, 75-metre-wide runway, with specialised foundation treatment, sets a benchmark in engineering standards.

Designed to transform connectivity, the airport features a spacious apron with five slots for wide-body aircraft and plans for extensive cargo operations with a dedicated cargo shed and future expansions.

Addressing previous connectivity challenges, the airport will enable modern airlines to serve Gwadar, enhancing regional economic growth and positioning Gwadar as a transhipment hub linked to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Launched in 2013, CPEC, a flagship project of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, is a corridor linking the Gwadar Port in southwest Pakistan's Balochistan province with Kashgar in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, which highlights energy, transport, and industrial cooperation in the first phase, while in the new phase expands to fields of agriculture and livelihood, among others.