Construction of the Islamabad International Airport (ICAO: OPIS) began on 7 April 2007. It was formally inaugurated on 20 April 2018 for regular international and domestic flights. The plan to construct a new airport was announced in January 2005 by the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority. A land of 3,242 acres (1,312 ha) land was acquired at the cost of Rs. 2.5 billion in November 2005. The new airport was planned in response to increasing air traffic and passenger loads at the existing Benazir Bhutto International Airport. It was estimated that the number of passengers at the former airport was growing by 14 percent annually compared to the national air passenger growth rate of 4 percent, making it the second-busiest airport in the country at the time. Therefore, a site in Pind Ranjha, Attock District was selected as the site for the construction of a new airport just a few kilometres from the Islamabad interchange on M-1/M-2 motorways. The foundation stone of the project was laid by former President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on 7 April 2007. It was a project of the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) and designed by French company Aéroports de Paris Ingenierie (ADPi) and CPG Corporation of Singapore. The whole project was financed by PCAA on its own. It is built on more than 3,200 acres (1,295 ha) of land and consists of a passenger terminal building, two runways, four taxiways, and apron and parking bays for wide-body aircraft. There is also a cargo terminal, air traffic control complex, and fuel farm, as well as a fire, crash, and rescue facility. The site of the airport is near Fateh Jang Tehsil of Attock District. It is 25 km (16 mi) equidistant from Zero Point, Islamabad and from Saddar, Rawalpindi. The airport is on par with international standards, and serves as a major hub for all aviation activities in Pakistan. The PCAA asked a team of British architects to design the new airport. PCAA signed an agreement with the Louis Berger Group in the US in association with Pakistani consulting firm GT AASR, to undertake project management services. The airport was to be completed in five years but took 12 years to complete, resulting in a three times increase in cost. MM Pakistan (MMP) and Mott Macdonald Ltd. were tasked to undertake the project management services from the previous consultants, and were successful in completing this troubled project. On 7 April 2018, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) successfully conducted the inaugural test flight from Benazir Bhutto International Airport to Islamabad International Airport, piloted by Captain Masood Bijrani and First Officer Hamad Khan. The aircraft landed at the New Islamabad International Airport to assess the facility's operational readiness, including airport systems, passenger handling by PIA staff and crew, as well as coordination with customs, the Airport Security Force, and other relevant agencies. On 1 May 2018, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi officially inaugurated the new airport. This was followed up with the airport commencing full commercial flight operations on 3 May 2018 and thus replacing the old airport. On 8 July 2018, the first Airbus A380 landed in Islamabad, arriving as one-off Emirates flight EK-2524 from Dubai International Airport. This was the first time an Airbus A380 flight landed in Pakistan. Virgin Atlantic flew their first flight to Islamabad on 10 December 2020 with Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. Virgin Atlantic ended their service to Islamabad on 9 July 2023. As of 2023, Pakistan International Airlines has moved its international hub from Karachi's Jinnah International Airport to Islamabad International Airport, better reflecting the origin of its international passengers.