Gilgit Airport is a small domestic airport situated 1.25 nm (2.3 km) east of

Gilgit Gilgit (; Shina language, Shina: ; ) is a city in Pakistani-administered Gilgit-Baltistan, Gilgit–Baltistan in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kas ...

, AIP Pakistan
OPGT – Gilgit
a city in the

Gilgit-Baltistan Gilgit-Baltistan (; ), formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an administrative units of Pakistan, administrative territory and consists of the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region, which has b ...

territory of Pakistan. The city of Gilgit is one of the two major hubs for mountaineering expeditions in the northern areas of Pakistan.

Structure

Because of the location of the runway and its location in the valley larger aircraft can not operate at the airpoirt. The airport has 5,400ft long Runway 07/25 but it is not aligned with the length of the valley that makes it hard for take offs or landings from both sides. Very rarely aircraft land or take from the CAA park side of the runway.

Pakistan International Airlines Pakistan International Airlines, commonly known as PIA, is the flag carrier of Pakistan. With its primary hub at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, the airline also operates from its secondary hubs at Allama Iqbal International Airport ...

currently operates

ATR 42 The ATR 42 is a regional airliner produced by Franco-Italian manufacturer ATR (aircraft manufacturer), ATR, with final assembly in Toulouse, France. On 4 November 1981, the aircraft was launched with ATR, as a joint venture between French Aér ...

aircraft on the Gilgit-Islamabad route. In the past, Fokker F-27 Friendships were used. Other aircraft that operate at the airport include the military

Lockheed C-130 Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 w ...

. In the event of a diversion, aircraft typically return to Islamabad, so care must be taken to carry enough fuel for the round trip. A new terminal was constructed in 2014 and inaugurated by Prime Minister

Nawaz Sharif Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif (born 25 December 1949) is a Pakistani politician and businessman who served as the 12th Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime minister of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms, first serving from 1990 to 1993, then ...

. The airport was planned to be twice as extensive, but waterlogged ground led to half the land being instead used for a public park, CAA Park or City Park Gilgit.

Airport history

Gilgit historically received aircraft before partition of Indian subcontinent. Even today almost the same route is used by the pilots to reach Gilgit airport. Weather condition and good visiblity is a must for Gilgit Islamabad flight operations. The airport was originally constructed in 1949, It was later upgraded in 1958 with pavement.

Airlines and destinations

Due to the small size of the airport, smaller aircraft mostly turboprops like ATR-42 and C-130 are able to safely land and take off from this airport. Flights are scheduled mostly from Islamabad. However, in 2022, PIA started flights from Karachi and Lahore through a stopover at Islamabad. Gilgit Airport view from Barmus Valley

Accidents

* On August 25, 1989,

Pakistan International Airlines Flight 404 Pakistan International Airlines Flight 404 (''Urdu: پی آئی اے پرواز 404'') was a Fokker F27 Friendship that disappeared shortly after takeoff on 25 August 1989. The aircraft presumably crashed somewhere in the Himalayas, Pakistan. ...

, a Fokker F27 carrying 54 people, disappeared after leaving Gilgit. The wreckage has not been found. * On July 20, 2019, Pakistan International Airlines Flight 605, an ATR carrying 53 people, skidded off the runway and came to rest on the grass. All the passengers were evacuated safely, but the plane was damaged.

Flight updates

While not an official airline source, gilgitairport.com offers a platform for travelers to access potentially up-to-date information on flight status, gathered and verified locally."About GilgitAirport.com"
''GilgitAirport'', December 20, 2023.

References

External links

* Airports in Gilgit-Baltistan {{Pakistan-airport-stub