Departure
95%
vs 95%
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Jinnah International Airport is the principal gateway to Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, and Pakistan's second busiest airport after Islamabad International. It operates two long parallel hard runways with ILS on the 25 approaches, making it a major transport hub for Pakistan International Airlines and other carriers, and a substantial fixed-wing operation of interest to any simulator pilot flying into the Karachi region.
Jinnah International Airport, named after Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, is the international airport serving Karachi, Sindh's largest city and commercial capital. It is operated by the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority and serves as a hub for Pakistan International Airlines, airblue and several other private carriers. Its scale, long parallel runways and long-established history as an international transit point on Eurasia routes make it a notable destination for anyone flying the region in a simulator.
The airport sits at coordinates 24.9086, 67.1628, at an elevation of 82 feet, within Karachi's controlled airspace. Approach control is provided by Karachi Approach, with ground and tower services covering movements on the airfield; the airport lies within the wider Karachi terminal environment and is the dominant aerodrome for the city.
The airfield has two physical runways, both hard-surfaced and lit. Runway 07R/25L is 11,135 feet long, with an ILS available on the 25L approach. Runway 07L/25R is 10,444 feet long, also with an ILS available on the 25R approach.
Karachi Approach operates on 125.5 MHz, with an ATIS broadcast on 126.7 MHz. Ground movements are handled by Karachi Ground on 121.6 MHz, and Karachi Tower operates on 118.3 MHz. Instrument approaches are available, with ILS equipment serving runways 25L and 25R.
Karachi Airport's origins trace back to 1929, when Imperial Airways began flying to a landing site near RAF Drigh Road on 30 March that year, during the period when the territory was part of British India. On 15 October 1932, J. R. D. Tata flew the inaugural airmail service from Juhu Aerodrome in Bombay to the Drigh Road airstrip, via Ahmedabad, carrying mail in a Puss Moth. In the late 1920s and early 1930s a large airship hangar, one of only three built worldwide for Britain's passenger airship fleet, was constructed at the site to accommodate the R101; the airship never arrived, having crashed on its maiden flight over Beauvais, France, and the hangar was eventually demolished for scrap in 1961, with the steel used in railway construction. On 5 December 1938 the Governor of Sind opened a permanent terminal building, later known as Terminal 1. During the Second World War the airport served as a major transhipment base for United States Army Air Forces units supporting operations in eastern India, Burma and China, with extensive maintenance, assembly and supply depot facilities. Following the crash of a De Havilland Comet in 1953, the airport closed temporarily and commercial flights were relocated to PAF Base Masroor. On 25 January 1961, Runway 07L/25R, measuring 10,500 feet, was inaugurated by Finance Minister Mohammad Shoaib, having been built by employees of the US Corps of Engineers and the Vinnel Corporation; by that time the airport was served by 13 international and domestic airlines. Expansion continued through the 1970s and 1980s, with Terminal 2 built by Pakistan International Airlines in 1978 to relieve congestion, later damaged by fire in February 1984, while Terminal 1 remained operational throughout. Construction of what became the Jinnah Terminal began in January 1989 and was completed in June 1991. Between the 1960s and 1980s the airport served as an online station for BOAC, Qantas and Pan Am on Eurasia routes.
Jinnah International Airport remains Pakistan's second busiest airport by passenger numbers, functioning as a hub for Pakistan International Airlines, airblue and other carriers. The airport includes the Ispahani Hangar, used for wide-body aircraft maintenance and overhaul. Local flying activity in the Karachi area includes the Karachi Aero Club, which is based in the vicinity of the airport.