Muzaffarabad airport inspected for revival.

MUZAFFARABAD -- Government officials and representatives of an Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) based private tourism airline on Friday inspected the downscaled Muzaffarabad airport to look into some of the basic needs for revival of the aerodrome.

The inspection was carried out on the directions of AJK Prime Minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas, who has repeatedly expressed his determination to exploit the rich tourism potential of the liberated territory and the revival of its two abandoned airports.

'The launch of Kashmir Airlines and revival of Muzaffarabad and Rawalakot airports will go a long way towards tapping AJK's rich tourism and other potentials and subsequently boosting its economy. I'm sure all authorities concerned will also realise the urgency of the matter and do the needful at full tilt,' he tweeted in the evening.

Earlier, Zarteef Badshah, a representative of CareCloud-MTBC - a publicly traded US healthcare information technology company that has obtained the licence for launch of Kashmir Airlines, toldDawnthat he had visited Muzaffarabad airport along with a group of senior government officials where they resolved to address some of basic needs for its operationalisation.

These needs included among other things the upgradation of the electricity supply system at the airport, completion of its fencing and increase of police vigilance in its surroundings, he said.

In the meanwhile, he added, Kashmir Airline's technical team would also present its report to PM Ilyas with regard to the measures to be taken by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for revival of the airport.

According to CAA sources, flight operations at the Muzaffarabad and Rawalakot airports had started in 1987.

Initially two Twin Otter flights would operate between Islamabad and Muzaffarabad and Rawalakot on a daily...