Gwadar’s $240 Million Airport: A Gateway for China with Few Benefits for Locals
Gwadar’s New Airport: A $240 Million Mystery in Balochistan
The New Gwadar International Airport, located in the coastal city of Gwadar in southwestern Pakistan, is now one of the most expensive airports in the country. Built with a staggering $240 million investment from China, it was officially completed in October 2024. Despite its grand design and impressive capacity to accommodate 400,000 passengers annually, the airport sits eerily empty, raising questions about its future and the benefits it promises to locals in the region.
Gwadar’s $240 Million Airport: A Gateway for China with Few Benefits for Locals
The airport is part of the larger China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a multi-billion-dollar infrastructure project aimed at connecting China’s western Xinjiang province with the Arabian Sea. While authorities hail CPEC as a game-changer for Pakistan, particularly for the strategically located city of Gwadar, the reality on the ground paints a starkly different picture.
A Project for China, Not Gwadar
Despite the airport’s massive cost and high-tech facilities, there’s little evidence that it will serve the needs of Gwadar’s population, which stands at just 90,000. The airport was built with the strategic aim of ensuring secure access for China to Balochistan and Gwadar. This has led to growing skepticism about the true beneficiaries of the project. Azeem Khalid, an expert on Pakistan-China relations, explains that the airport is less about facilitating local growth and more about serving China’s interests.
“This airport is not for Pakistan or Gwadar,” said Khalid. “It is for China, so they can have secure access for their citizens to Gwadar and Balochistan.”
Gwadar’s Struggles: A City of Contrast
Gwadar’s juxtaposition with the New Gwadar International Airport highlights the deep contradictions within the city and its surroundings. While the airport stands as a symbol of foreign investment and development, the city of Gwadar is plagued by poverty, a lack of basic infrastructure, and ongoing security concerns. Gwadar remains disconnected from Pakistan’s national power grid, relying instead on electricity from neighboring Iran or solar energy, which is insufficient to meet local needs.
Access to clean water is another major issue. Drought and unchecked exploitation have drained the region’s water resources, leaving locals in dire need of reliable sources of drinking water. The government has been criticized for focusing on large-scale infrastructure projects like CPEC while neglecting the basic needs of its citizens.
Rising Tensions and Local Discontent
For years, Baloch separatists have waged an insurgency against the Pakistani state, accusing it of exploiting the region’s resources without benefiting the local Baloch population. The construction of CPEC and the growing Chinese presence in Gwadar have only intensified these tensions, with separatist groups targeting both Pakistani security forces and Chinese workers.
Militant violence has escalated in Balochistan since 2021, further adding to the region’s instability. Despite the increased military presence and security measures, which include checkpoints and surveillance, the city remains on edge. Locals report frequent disruptions to their daily lives, including the closure of roads and restrictions on their movements to ensure the safety of Chinese workers and VIPs.
76-year-old Khuda Bakhsh Hashim, a longtime resident of Gwadar, lamented the dramatic shift in his community. “We used to enjoy all-night picnics in the mountains or rural areas. Now we are asked to prove our identity whenever we move around. We feel like strangers in our own city,” he said.
CPEC’s Promise vs. Reality
While CPEC has created some jobs, local residents claim that very few of these positions have gone to Baloch people. Instead, the jobs appear to have been taken by people from other parts of Pakistan. Abdul Ghafoor Hoth, a political leader in Gwadar, claims that not a single local resident was hired to work at the New Gwadar International Airport, not even as a security guard.
This lack of local involvement in major development projects has led to widespread frustration among the people of Gwadar. In 2023, residents organized daily protests over poor living conditions, calling for better access to electricity and water. Although the government promised to address their demands, no significant progress has been made, leaving the community disillusioned.
The Delay in the Airport’s Inauguration
The inauguration of the New Gwadar International Airport was initially delayed due to security concerns. The airport’s proximity to the surrounding mountains, which could potentially serve as launchpads for attacks, prompted fears of militant activity. Consequently, a virtual inauguration ceremony was held in 2024, with no public access to the event.
Despite the airport’s completion, there are still no commercial flights operating regularly from Gwadar. Only a few flights operate on a limited schedule to Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, and there are no direct flights to Gwadar’s provincial capital, Quetta, or the national capital, Islamabad.
Looking Forward: Will Gwadar Benefit from CPEC?
The future of Gwadar and its airport remains uncertain. While the New Gwadar International Airport symbolizes the ambitions of both Pakistan and China, its real impact on the local population remains to be seen. Locals hope that CPEC will eventually bring much-needed employment opportunities and improvements to infrastructure. However, with no clear benefits reaching the people of Gwadar and growing security concerns, many are left wondering whether this massive investment will ever truly transform their lives.