History
At the time of the creation of Pakistan, Walton Airport was the main airport of Lahore. When Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) acquired jet aircraft such as Boeing 720s, however, Walton was unable to handle the large aircraft. The Government of Pakistan thus decided to build a brand new airport, which opened in 1962 as Lahore International Airport and was able to handle aircraft as large as the Boeing 747.
Over the course of the next 25 years the demand for air travel rose. It meant that the government decided to build a new world class airport to meet the growing needs for the future and improve the facilities for passengers since the old airport was becoming obsolete. In 2003, Allama Iqbal International Airport was inaugurated and is now the second largest airport in Pakistan after Jinnah International Karachi. All flights were switched to the new airport and the old airport was passed onto the military. However, during the Hajj period, the old airport is used as the Hajj Terminal by the national carrier, PIA.
Read more about this topic: Allama Iqbal International Airport
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“The history of this country was made largely by people who wanted to be left alone. Those who could not thrive when left to themselves never felt at ease in America.”
—Eric Hoffer (1902–1983)
“Jesus Christ belonged to the true race of the prophets. He saw with an open eye the mystery of the soul. Drawn by its severe harmony, ravished with its beauty, he lived in it, and had his being there. Alone in all history he estimated the greatness of man.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“The history of the Victorian Age will never be written: we know too much about it.”
—Lytton Strachey (1880–1932)