ISLAMABAD, MAY 01 (DNA) – The new Islamabad International Airport received its first flight after it was inaugurated by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi today.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by governors of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab.

“Pakistan Zindabad! The first flight arrives at the new Islamabad International Airport!#FirstFlightPIA #NewAirportwithPIA #PIA,” said the  PIA.

PIA on its official Twitter handle shared a video of a pilot of inaugural flight waving Pakistan flag from the cockpit window.

The new Islamabad International Airport, 30 kilometers from the capital, is capable of serving 9 million passengers per year and 50,000 metric tons of cargo.

It was under construction for more than a decade, facing repeated delays and missing deadlines for opening dating back to 2016.

The “Y” shaped new airport spreads over 19 square kilometers with 15 jetties (passenger boarding bridges), including facilities to accommodate two double-deck A380, the world’s largest airplane, 15 remote bays and seven remote bays for small aircraft such as ATRs. It is reportedly the biggest international airport in the country in terms of landing and passenger handling facilities. For the 15 bays, the same number of lounges have been built to avoid mixing of passengers. The new airport has two runways each 3.5 km long.