Work is under way on a Rs5.5 billion expansion of Dera Ghazi Khan Airport intended to accommodate international flights, Power Minister Awais Leghari said during a visit to the project on Monday. The government is targeting completion by January 2028.
According to the official account, Leghari inspected runway-extension work and received a briefing from the project director. Civil Aviation Authority teams were working at the site. Business Recorder separately reported the minister’s inspection and the same cost and completion target.
The announcement concerns an airport upgrade in progress. It does not mean that new international services have begun or that airlines have opened bookings. The available statement does not identify operating carriers, destinations, ticket prices or a confirmed starting date for scheduled flights.
Leghari said the upgrade would improve travel facilities and create economic opportunities in South Punjab. Those are the government’s intended benefits. The inspection account does not provide an independent estimate of additional passenger demand or demonstrate that the proposed connectivity has already been delivered.
The airport is one of four major development initiatives highlighted for Dera Ghazi Khan. The others are a cancer hospital, a long-term sewerage scheme and road widening and rehabilitation. The minister discussed the projects together, but the airport’s quoted budget and deadline should not be read as a combined allocation or completion date for all four.
For travellers, the next practical milestones are the completion and commissioning of the required infrastructure and any subsequent airline announcements. Until those details are released, January 2028 remains the minister’s stated project target, rather than a promise that a particular passenger route will be available on that date.
Sources: PID official account; Business Recorder