Jinnah International Airport جناح بین الاقوامی ہوائی اڈہ | |||||||||||||||
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| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||
| Owner/Operator | Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority Manager: Erfan Khan as of January 2025[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Location | Karachi-75200,Sindh,Pakistan | ||||||||||||||
| Opened | 1929; 96 years ago (1929) | ||||||||||||||
| Hub for | Pakistan International Airlines | ||||||||||||||
| Operating base for | |||||||||||||||
| Built | 1929; 96 years ago (1929)[2] | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 30 m / 100 ft | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 24°54′24″N67°09′39″E / 24.90667°N 67.16083°E /24.90667; 67.16083 | ||||||||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||||||||
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  KHI/OPKC Location of Jinnah International Airport Show map of Pakistan KHI/OPKC KHI/OPKC (Asia) Show map of Asia | |||||||||||||||
 Location in Karachi | |||||||||||||||
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| Statistics (2023-2024[3]) | |||||||||||||||
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Jinnah International Airport (Urdu:جناح بین الاقوامی ہوائی اڈا) (IATA:KHI,ICAO:OPKC), formerlyDrigh Road Airport orKarachi International Airport, isPakistan's secondbusiestinternational anddomestic airport in terms of total passengers, being surpassed byIslamabad International Airport in 2024–2025. Located inKarachi, the largest city and commercial capital of Pakistan and capital of the province ofSindh, it is named afterMuhammad Ali Jinnah, the statesman founder of Pakistan.
The airport is managed by thePakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA), and serves as ahub for thenational flag carrier,Pakistan International Airlines (PIA),airblue, and many other private airlines. The airport is equipped with aircraft engineering and overhauling facilities including theIspahani Hangar forwide-body aircraft.[4]
Imperial Airways was one of the first airlines to fly to Karachi in March 30, 1929 when Pakistan was a part of British India.[2] The Karachi Aerodrome was also established that year.
J. R. D. Tata made the maiden voyage fromJuhu Aerodrome inBombay (nowMumbai) to Drigh Road airstrip (now Jinnah International Airport),Karachi, viaAhmedabad, on 15 October 1932, carrying mail in aPuss Moth aircraft.[5]
During the late 1920s and early 1930s, there was a large black colouredairship hangar at the site of Karachi Airport, constructed for theBritishHMA R101, at the time, thelargest aircraft ever built.[citation needed] Only three hangars were ever built in the world to dock and hangarBritain's fleet of passenger airships. However, the R101 never arrived in Karachi (then part of theBritish Raj) as it crashed and exploded just 8 hours into itsmaiden flight overBeauvais,France, killing all but 6 of its 54 passengers and crew.[6] This hangar was so huge that aircraft often used it as a visual marker while attemptingVFRlandings at Karachi. The hangar started construction in 1927 and finished in 1929. In 1952, the government of Pakistan decided to demolish the old hangar for metal scrap. In 1961, the hangar was demolished and its steel was used for railway construction.[7]
The black hangar was located approximately on the coordinates: 24°53'28"N 67°08'51"E if you match an old aerial photo of Karachi Airport prior toWorld War II with a recent image of Karachi Airport. The base of the airship mast survives to this day and is located here: 24°53'49"N 67°08'30"E.[8] The mast was never used but the hangar served Imperial AirwaysHandley Page H.P.42s and A.W.XV Atalantas. On 5 December 1938, the Governor of Sind opened a permanent terminal building (now Terminal 1) which had a circular central hall and two wing sections.[9]
DuringWorld War II, Karachi Airport was a major transhipment base forUnited States Army Air Forces units and equipment being used byTenth Air Force in eastern India,Burma and theFourteenth Air Force inChina.[citation needed] Several operational bomber and fighter units flew into Karachi for short organisational periods prior to their deployment.Air Technical Service Command had extensive facilities where aircraft were received, assembled and tested prior to being flown to their combat units at forward airfields.[citation needed] It also functioned as a major maintenance and supply depot for both air forces. In addition,Air Transport Command flew numerous cargo and passenger flights to the Middle East and to points within British India and China.[citation needed]
In 1953, after the crash of aDe Havilland Comet, Karachi Airport had to close for a short amount of time, and commercial flights were temporarily relocated toPAF Base Masroor.
In January 25, 1961, Runway 07L/25R was inaugurated by Finance Minister Mohammad Shoaib at the Karachi Airport. The length of the runway was 10,500 feet and it was one of the longest runways at the time. Employees of the US Corps of Engineers and the Vinnel Corporation were responsible for the construction of the Rs 28 million runway. Before the construction of Runway 07L/25R, according to a 1958 US report, what is now Runway 07R/25L existed with a length of roughly 7,500 feet with a surface ofBitumen. At the time, the airport was served by 13 international and domestic airlines.
In 1965 the Department of Civil Aviation and PIA produced a master plan for a new terminal building, which would later pave the way for the planning of the Jinnah Terminal 20 years later.
In November 3, 1972, it was announced Karachi International Airport would be expanded to meet the rising passenger volume owing to operations by a number of foreign airlines of wide-bodied (jumbo) aircraft. The programme would be implemented in two phases. The first phase consisted of international arrival areas, the existing transit lounge and domestic areas. The second included a new international departure-cum-transit lounge and a car park. The former was expected to be completed in October 1973, the most important aspect of which was streamlining of passenger flow to expedite their clearance. Three customs, three health and five immigration channels had been provided for the purpose. In the latter, a new block was to be built for departure and transit passengers with a capacity of 600 persons. The arrival lounge would be enlarged to accommodate over 320 passengers.[10]
In 1978, to relieve congestion, Terminal 2 was built byPakistan International Airlines. Terminal 2 had a length of 130 meters (427 feet) when it was built in 1978. It contained two departure lounges, one for 577 passengers and the other for 50 first class passengers, was capable of serving four wide-bodied aircraft simultaneously, cost 10 million Pakistani rupees (521 million rupees today), and was built to last 60 years. By then, the airport was served by 29 airlines.[9]
In February 1984, Karachi International Airport had an airport fire which affected Terminal 2 badly. Terminal 1 was still operational.[11] The late 1980s saw the construction of Terminal 3. January 1989 was when the Jinnah Terminal begun construction. In June 1991, after roughly 2 years of construction and 4 years of planning, the Jinnah Terminal was completed. However, it wasn’t until August 1992 when it opened. The Jinnah Terminal was supposed to have been expanded 3 times its original size by 2000, with 4 satellite terminals and 32 gates. The terminal was supposed to handle 8 million passengers annually. Runway 07R/25L was to be extended to roughly 9,000 to 10,000 feet.[12] The present day infrastructure of Jinnah International Complex is a result of an expansion programme carried out in 1994. Runway 07R/25L was extended from 7,500 feet to its current length of 11,155 feet. Today, the Jinnah Terminal handles both domestic and international flights, whereas Terminal 2 is now dedicated toHajj operations. Terminal 1 (the original airport) is now the HQ of Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority and Terminal 3 is dedicated to commercial offices.[13] After the construction of the Jinnah Terminal, the airport was renamed Quaid-i-Azam International Airport.
In approximately 1992-1993, Karachi Airport handled 2,766,449 international passengers and handled 2,570,827 domestic passengers.[14]
Between the 1960s and 1980s, it was an online station of airlines such asBOAC,Qantas, andPan Am, featuring prominently on for Eurasia flights.[15] In March 2006,Pakistan International Airlines began a nonstop flight to Toronto on Boeing 777s.[16][17]
In early 2025, work began on reconstructing and extending runway 07L/25R to 11,500 ft to accommodate Airbus A380s. New taxiways also started being constructed and a new control tower was being built north of the airport. The ATC tower will be 125 feet tall.
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Jinnah International Airport has a capacity of handling 12 million passengers annually. In fiscal year 2008–2009, over 5,725,052 passengers used Jinnah International Airport. 50,095 aircraft movements were registered.[19]
It is a major focus city of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), as the primary hub has shifted to Islamabad. All other Pakistani airlines also use Jinnah International Airport as their main hub. These includeairblue,SereneAir,Fly Jinnah, andAirSial as well as several charter carriers.
The building is linked via connecting corridors to two satellites, each having a provision of eight passenger-loading bridges. The eastern satellite is devoted exclusively to handling international operations. The western satellite is used for domestic operations, as well as some international operations. This is achieved through a flexible arrangement of gates. The two satellites supplement the departure lounges of the terminal building and also provide shopping facilities, mobile recharging points, and snack counters.
The Jinnah Terminal was completed in 1992 at a cost of US$100 million[unreliable source?] – at the time the most expensive civil construction project in Pakistan. NESPAK (National Engineering Services Pakistan) and Airconsult (Frankfurt,Germany) were responsible for the architecture and planning of the terminal. Sogea Construction, a French company, was the contractor. Mukhtar Husain and Abdul Malik (NESPAK) were the chief engineers for the new terminal.
In Karachi, the CIP Lounge can be used by allfirst andbusiness class passengers on all outbound flights. Barclays, UBL andairblue have also introduced their dedicated lounges in the international terminal.[20]
There are a number of bank kiosks and ATMs that passengers can use at the airport.
Jinnah International Airport’s ATC building is located on top of the Terminal 1 building. It was constructed in 1938 and will eventually be replaced by a new control tower.
The airport is also where the majority of PIA's maintenance network is located, although some of its maintenance work also takes place atIslamabad International Airport, Islamabad. There are several hangars at the airport; the largest being theIspahani Hangar (named afterMirza Ahmad Ispahani, the first chairman of PIA) which can accommodate twowide-body aircraft and one narrow body airliner (e.g.Boeing 737) at one time. On 15 February 2006, the first major overhaul of aBoeing 777-200ER aircraft (known as "C" check) was done at Ispahani Hangar. Most of the PIA aircraft are checked and regulated at the aircraft hangars in Karachi. The PIA maintenance also check other airlines' aircraft in Karachi. The head office of theCivil Aviation Authority of Pakistan is located in Terminal 1.[21]Pakistan International Airlines has some of its HQ departments (with the rest shifted to PIA Building Blue AreaIslamabad) on the grounds of the airport (PIA Building),[22] as well as its central mainframe (CRC Building). CRC Building also houses the PIA frequent flyer programme, Awards +, as well as hosting SITA Bagtrak, the sharedInternational Air Transport Association global lost luggage tracking computer network. PIA Engineering HQ, Cargo Village, Flight Kitchen, PTC (PIA Training Centre), and Jama Masjid PIA are also located here. Terminals 1 and Jinnah West also have round-the-clock PIA booking offices and ticketing auto-kiosks.
The Isphahani Hangar is PIA's wide-body aircraft maintenance hangar at Jinnah International Airport. It was named in honour of Mirza Ahmed Isphahani, the first and longest serving chairperson of Pakistan International Airlines from its inception in 1954 until 1962. The new jet hangar for wide-body and narrow-body aircraft with a supporting airframe overhaul shop was completed and commissioned in 1968. Most of the PIA aircraft are checked and regulated at the aircraft hangars in Karachi. The PIA maintenance also check other airlines' aircraft in Karachi such as Philippine Airlines, Yemenia and Turkish Airlines.
In 2007 a Karachi bound 747 for the UK was found by government inspectors to have poor maintenance at Karachi and Islamabad after an engine fell onto aManchester Airport runway shortly after landing.[23]
Jinnah International Airport has one main terminal, divided into two concourses and five floors:[24]
The airport also has a terminal dedicated to Hajj flights, Terminal 2. Terminals 2 and 3 were dedicated to international flights before the construction of the Jinnah Terminal. Terminal 2 (1978) was initially an arrival building for international flights of PIA and some other airlines (with the rest arriving at Terminal 1) and a departure building for domestic flights. Later, a new international departures building (Terminal 3) was constructed in the late 1980s. Before the 1980s, Terminal 1 (built in 1938) was the only terminal of the airport. It had changed in appearance multiple times. Terminal 1, according to a map from 1985, had shops, duty-free shop booking office (pick-up point near Shaheed-e-Millat), an international departures lounge, ticketing, car rental services, bank branches, 24-hour restaurant/coffee shop, mosque, and airline counters from the ground floor. On the first floor of the terminal, there was a cafeteria for airport staff, airline offices, and the security/lost and found office of the airport administration. During the time of General Zia, martial law complaint office was also present.[26]
The airport has two runways measuring 3,200 m (10,500 ft) and 3,400 m (11,200 ft) in length respectively. Runways 25R/07L and 25L/07R have a width of 46 m (151 ft) and 45 m (148 ft) respectively. The runways are capable of handling up toAirbus A380 (soon),Airbus A350 XWB andAntonov An-225 Mriya aircraft. The runways have capacity to handle 15 flights per hour and can accommodate simultaneous landings and take offs. Runways 25R and 25L are equipped withILS CAT-I to guide landing aircraft safely under very poor weather conditions and in low visibility conditions, such as fog.[27] The taxiway is able to handle 12 aircraft at once, while the parking area measures 266,000 square metres (2,860,000 sq ft) and is able to accommodate 42 aircraft, 12 of which through air bridges linking them directly with the terminal building. In addition, there are remote parking bays for 30 aircraft.
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The following table provides details of the major traffic flows out of Karachi Airport in terms of passenger numbers, aircraft movements, cargo as well as mail. The results were collected by theCivil Aviation Authority of Pakistan:[43]
| Year | Aircraft movements (commercial) | Passengers (intl. & domestic) | Cargo handled (M. tons) | Mail handled (M. tons) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-07 | 52,990 | 5,460,328 | 152,364 | 2,828 |
| 2007-08 | 50,622 | 5,865,859 | 161,762 | 2,832 |
| 2008-09 | 49,920 | 5,698,164 | 144,993 | 2,189 |
| 2009-10 | 53,295 | 5,832,494 | 149,498 | 2,787 |
| 2010-11 | 50,924 | 6,032,999 | 142,364 | 2,324 |
| 2011-12 | 52,682 | 5,968,531 | 142,544 | 2,478 |
| 2012-13 | 49,075 | 5,966,349 | 154,924 | 1,984 |
| 2013-14 | 48,519 | 6,397,316 | 136,124 | 2,101 |
| 2014-15 | 48,832 | 6,267,068 | 125,716 | 2,747 |
| 2015-16 | 54,509 | 6,602,181 | 124,346 | 13,236 |
| 2016-17 | 61,428 | 6,903,948 | 126,498 | 13,792 |
| 2017-18 | 51,890 | 7,267,026 | 130,361 | 12,214 |
| 2018-19 | 42,339 | 6,802,121 | 120,559 | 23,909 |
| 2019-20 | 31,200 | 4,381,949 | 97,742 | 8,936 |
| 2020-21 | 26,743 | 3,366,509 | 97,887 | 4,396 |
| 2021-22 | 35,259 | 5,165,904 | 94,560 | 1,698 |
| 2022-23 | 38,735 | 5,883,291 | 92,453 | 942 |
| 2023-24 | 41,754 | 6,460,547 | 104,988 | 512 |
Historical Statistics (according to a dawn news article and a book called “Airports of the World”):[44][9]
| Year | Annual Passengers | Cargo (tonnes) | Aircraft Movements | Transport Movements |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 350,000 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 1967 | 817,516 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 1968 | 1,050,000 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 1970-1971 | 862,942 | 13,236 | 48,044 | 20,995 |
| 1974-1975 | 1,434,670 | 31,487 | 49,357 | 23,496 |
| 1975-1976 | 1,762,568 | 37,415 | 70,703 | 27,194 |
| 1977 | 2,422,349 | 45,428 | N/A | 30,388 |
During those times, Karachi Airport was one of the busiest in West and South Asia and was a destination for more international airlines than today.
| Rank | City | Country | Number of flights | Airlines |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Islamabad | Pakistan | 105 | Serene Air, Pakistan International Airlines, airblue, AirSial, Fly Jinnah |
| 2 | Dubai | United Arab Emirates | 78 | Emirates, Pakistan International Airlines, flydubai |
| 3 | Lahore | Pakistan | 69 | airblue, Pakistan International Airlines, Serene Air, AirSial |
| 4 | Jeddah | Saudi Arabia | 36 | airblue, Pakistan International Airlines, Saudia |
| 5 | Sharjah | United Arab Emirates | 27 | Air Arabia, Pakistan International Airlines |
| 6 | Muscat | Oman | 22 | Oman Air, Salam Air, Pakistan International Airlines |
| 7 | Doha | Qatar | 19 | Qatar Airways, Pakistan International Airlines |
| 8 | Abu Dhabi | United Arab Emirates | 16 | Etihad Airways, Pakistan International Airlines |
| 9 | Istanbul | Turkey | 11 | Turkish Airlines,Pegasus Airlines, Pakistan International Airlines |
| 10 | Bahrain | Bahrain | 11 | Gulf Air |
| Total aircraft movement (number) | Total passengers (numbers) | Total cargo (M. tons) | Total mail (M. tons) | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial | Non-commercial | Grand total | Domestic | International | Total | Domestic | International | Total | Domestic | International | Total | ||
| Domestic | International | Total | |||||||||||
| 23,598 | 23,207 | 46,805 | 427 | 47,232 | 2,526,702 | 3,685,783 | 6,212,485 | 18,181 | 81,723 | 99,904 | 65 | 22,254 | 22,319 |
Jinnah International Airport is situated near the highly populated areas ofGulistan-e-Jauhar andMalir. It is easily accessible throughShahrah-e-Faisal Road from any part of the city.
The airport has a heptagon carpark which can accommodate more than 3000 vehicles.
Buses, mini buses and taxis are also available to the airport. There are also a number of traditional auto-rickshaws available at the airport parking area and entrance which are quite popular to travel short distances within the city.
Karachi Cantonment railway station is the nearest railway station from the airport to get the railway connections for other parts of the country. There is also a commuter rail station, Karachi Airport Station, which is located 2 km southwest of main Jinnah Terminal, just south of Star Gate.
In 2013, the son of a politician and Pakistan Peoples Party MNASher Muhammad Baloch was arrested for beating a PIA reservation officer at the airport.[46]
In 2018, five FIA officials were suspended for manhandling a reportedly drunk and aggressive male passenger at the airport.[47][48]
In June 2014, at least 28 people, including all 10 attackers, were killed when Taliban-linked terrorists attacked Karachi Airport.[49]
In 2024, a suicide attack, by internationally designated terrorist group Baloch Liberation Army, was reported at the Jinnah International Airport, killing two people and wounding eight others.[50]
| Date | Aircraft | Registration | Flight no | Airline | Occupants | Fatalities | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 December 1947 | Douglas DC-3 | VT-AUG | 1947 Korangi Creek crash | Air-India | 23 | 23 | The DC-3 lost control after takeoff and struck the ground in a 30deg angle whilst in a violent sideslip to the right.[51] |
| 3 March 1953 | de Havilland DH-106 Comet 1A | CF-CUN | Canadian Pacific Air Lines (CP Air) | 11 | 11 | Failed to take off and crashed into a dry river bed. First fatal passenger jet airliner crash.[52] | |
| 5 August 1956 | Hermes IV | G-ALDK | Britavia | Suffered the collapse of the nose undercarriage at Drigh Road Airport. The aircraft was damaged beyond economic repair.[53] | |||
| 14 August 1959 | Vickers Viscount | AP-AJE | Pakistan International Airlines | 3 | 2 | Aircraft crashed at Karachi International Airport while attempting an overshoot with two engines inoperative on a training flight.[54] | |
| 5 September 1986 | Boeing 747-121 | N656PA | Pan Am Flight 73 | Pan American World Airways | 381 | 20 | Aircraft washijacked by Palestinian gunmen posing as airport officials upon arrival from Bombay (nowMumbai), India. 20 people were killed when the gunmen opened fire on the passengers as commandos prepared to storm the airplane whilst still on the ground. |
| 5 November 2010 | Beechcraft 1900 | AP-BJD | JS Air Flight 201 | JS Air | 21 | 21 | A plane chartered by theItalian oil company,ENIcrashed a minute after takeoff. All 21 passengers and crew on board - 17 ENI employees, two pilots, a security guard and a technician - were killed. Among the dead were 20 Pakistani nationals and an Italian national.[55] |
| 28 November 2010 | Ilyushin Il-76 | 4L-GNI | Sun Way Flight 4412 | Sun Way | 8 | 10 | Aircraft crashed in a populated area of Karachi shortly after taking off from Jinnah International Airport. All eight people on board were killed, as were a further two people on the ground. The aircraft was reported to have been trying to return to Jinnah International after suffering an engine fire.[56] |
| 22 May 2020 | Airbus A320-214 | AP-BLD | Pakistan International Airlines Flight 8303 | Pakistan International Airlines | 99 | 97[57] | A domestic passenger flight fromLahore to Karachi crashed into theModel Colony residential area while on a secondILS approach to Jinnah International Airport.[58] |
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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Media related toJinnah International Airport at Wikimedia Commons
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