Multan Airport

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.

History

Multan 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 1963, 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.
 

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