DRAFT — Rs5.5bn DG Khan Airport Upgrade Begins, International Flights Targeted by Jan 2028
- Suggested slug: dg-khan-airport-rs5-5bn-upgrade-january-2028
- Category: National News
- Focus keyphrase: DG Khan airport upgrade
- SEO title: DG Khan Airport Upgrade: Rs5.5bn Work Underway
- Meta description: The DG Khan airport upgrade has begun, a Rs5.5 billion project to enable international flights by January 2028, the energy minister said.
- Tags: DG Khan airport, Awais Leghari, CAA Pakistan, south Punjab, APMS, power theft, load shedding, infrastructure
- Original element: own data point — links to Feature Pakistan’s same-night gas deregulation coverage (Aurangzeb’s review, phased roadmap to PM) as context for the circular-debt pressures the minister described
- Source: https://tribune.com.pk/story/2635777/rs55b-airport-upgrade-underway (Tribune, published 03:15 PKT 20 Oct 2026); facts cross-checked against ARY News and Business Recorder versions of the same Ministry of Energy statement
- Story date: 19 October 2026
—
DERA GHAZI KHAN: Practical work has begun on the DG Khan airport upgrade, a Rs5.5 billion project to prepare the airport for international flights, with completion targeted for January 2028. Federal Minister for Energy (Power Division) Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari reviewed progress during an inspection visit to the project on Monday.
Civil Aviation Authority teams are working on site, including the extension of the runway. The minister examined the runway expansion work and reviewed progress across multiple fronts, the Ministry of Energy said in a statement.
DG Khan airport upgrade one of four major projects
The airport expansion is one of four major development projects Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced for Dera Ghazi Khan. The other three are a cancer hospital, a long-term sewerage project and the widening and rehabilitation of road networks.
Leghari said the sewerage scheme is being designed to meet the region’s needs for the next 50 years. Wider and rehabilitated roads will make commuting smoother. Together, the initiatives will improve civic amenities and accelerate regional development, he said.
He said upgrading the airport for international flights will give local residents better travel facilities and open new avenues of progress and prosperity across south Punjab.
Crackdown on power theft with new technology
During the visit, the minister also addressed electricity load management. He said load-shedding is being carried out strictly according to an established schedule. Gas supply constraints linked to geopolitical tensions have raised power generation costs and forced reliance on costlier sources, he added.
The government is installing the Advanced Power Management System (APMS) on transformers across the country to detect electricity theft and cut line losses. The system will identify transformers in high-theft areas, allowing targeted disconnections. That means thousands of paying consumers on an entire feeder will no longer lose power because of a few thieves.
Leghari said load-shedding will continue on feeders reporting 30 per cent or higher aggregate technical and commercial losses. He said no leniency will be shown to electricity thieves or chronic defaulters. Power consumers are already under pressure: they face a Rs33 billion hit in November bills. Read: Power Consumers Face Rs33 Billion Hit in November Bills
Same pressures the gas plan targets
The minister’s remarks on power costs came the same night the government moved to overhaul gas pricing. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb chaired a review on Monday where a phased deregulation roadmap was finalised for the prime minister, targeting circular debt and cross-subsidies in the gas sector. Read: Gas Deregulation Plan Heads to PM After Finance Review
The power-sector losses Leghari described, theft, line losses and costly generation, sit at the heart of the same circular-debt crisis. The Power Division recently blamed K-Electric for a Rs34 billion jump in circular debt. Read: Power Division Blames K-Electric for Rs34 Billion Jump in Circular Debt Pakistan’s economy felt the same strain in the last quarter, with growth slowing to 2 per cent as industry contracted 4.7 per cent. Read: Pakistan Q4 Growth Slows to 2% as Industry Contracts
Ceremony at the site
The CAA project director briefed the minister on the expansion and presented him with a commemorative shield. Leghari planted a sapling and offered prayers as part of a plantation campaign at the site.
MNA Sardar Ammar Leghari, MPA Ali Yousaf Leghari and former MPAs Sardar Yousaf Leghari and Aleem Shah were also present.
FAQ
When will DG Khan Airport handle international flights?
The Rs5.5 billion upgrade is targeted for completion by January 2028, after which the airport will be able to handle international flights.
How much is the DG Khan airport upgrade costing?
The project costs Rs5.5 billion and includes runway extension work being carried out by Civil Aviation Authority teams.
What is APMS?
The Advanced Power Management System is being installed on transformers across Pakistan to detect electricity theft and enable targeted disconnections in high-loss areas.
