Pakistan has moved forward with its Rs 10 billion project to install modern air traffic management systems at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi and Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore, with sources confirming that the technical bid opening process for the installation has already been completed. Under the project, state-of-the-art air traffic management and voice communication systems will be installed at both airports, while the air traffic control centres at each location will also be upgraded to meet modern operational requirements. The technical evaluation stage marks a concrete step forward for a project that had previously cleared the Central Development Working Party (CDWP), which approved the project’s PC-1 and paved the way for its implementation earlier this year.
With the technical bid opening now complete, the financial bids of companies that cleared the technical evaluation will be opened in the next phase, moving the project closer to an actual contract award and installation timeline. The project also includes the installation of a voice communication and control system alongside the new air traffic management system at both airports, addressing infrastructure that officials have previously described as outdated and increasingly strained by growing air traffic volumes in the region. Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) officials have previously said an advanced flight management system would also be introduced for the Karachi and Lahore Flight Information Regions specifically, aimed at improving monitoring and guidance of aircraft moving through Pakistani airspace.
The upgrade fits into PAA’s much broader modernization drive across the country’s aviation infrastructure, which has included the completion of the New Gwadar International Airport at a cost of Rs 55 billion, the Rs 10 billion reconstruction of Karachi’s main runway completed in January 2026, and rehabilitation work at smaller airports including Dera Ismail Khan, Parachinar, and Turbat. PAA has also been pursuing a Rs 43 billion terminal expansion at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport alongside a separate Rs 19 billion airside paving project, along with a Rs 70 billion development programme at Skardu International Airport expected to conclude around 2030. Against that backdrop, the air traffic management upgrade at Karachi and Lahore represents one piece of a much larger, multibillion rupee infrastructure push the authority has undertaken since its establishment roughly two years ago.
Authorities have said the existing air traffic control systems being replaced have effectively outlived their useful life, a concern that has been raised in earlier planning documents citing the risk of frequent breakdowns and the growing difficulty of sourcing spare parts and manufacturer support for aging equipment. Once the financial bid evaluation is complete and a contract is awarded, installation of the new systems is expected to begin, though PAA has not disclosed a specific timeline for when the upgraded air traffic management and voice communication systems will become fully operational at either airport. The project remains part of PAA’s wider effort to modernize the country’s air traffic management infrastructure as passenger volumes and flight frequency continue to grow across Pakistan’s busiest airports.
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