Departure
94%
vs 95% ▼ 1
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Skardu International Airport (OPSD) sits at 7,277 feet amid the Karakoram, Himalaya and Hindu Kush ranges, making it one of the highest and most dramatically situated airports in Pakistan. It is a joint civil-military field on the outskirts of Skardu, sharing its main runway with the adjacent Pakistan Air Force Qadri airbase, and has served since 2021 as the international gateway to Gilgit-Baltistan's mountain and trekking regions.
Skardu Airport lies on the outskirts of the town of Skardu in Gilgit-Baltistan, in the far north of Pakistan, and is operated by the Pakistan Airports Authority as a joint-use aerodrome shared with the Pakistan Air Force's Qadri airbase. For a visiting pilot the field is notable above all for its setting: it sits at over 7,000 feet elevation, ringed by the towering peaks of the Karakoram, Himalaya and Hindu Kush, and serves as the principal air gateway for travellers heading into some of the most rugged terrain in the world, including the approaches to K2.
The airport is located in Skardu District, Baltistan Division, Gilgit-Baltistan, about 9.2 km (5.7 mi) from Skardu city centre. It stands adjacent to Qadri airbase, a Pakistan Air Force forward operating base, with which it shares its main runway, so pilots should expect a mixed civil/military operating environment. The surrounding terrain is high and mountainous, with the Indus and Shigar rivers converging near the town below the airfield.
Skardu has two physical runways, both of hard (bitumen) surface. The main runway, 14/32, is 11,942 ft long. A second, shorter runway, 15R/33L, is 8,244 ft long. There is no ILS at the field.
Ground movements are handled on 121.8 MHz. Tower radio operates on 292.3 MHz, with tower also available on 119.7 MHz.
The confluence of the Indus and Shigar rivers below the town, together with the high surrounding peaks of the Karakoram, Himalaya and Hindu Kush ranges, provide the principal visual references for locating and approaching the airfield, which lies close to Skardu town on the district's outskirts.
Skardu Airport began life as an airbase built in 1949, shortly after Pakistan's independence, and served as a Pakistan Air Force airfield in the Northern Areas. It was subsequently converted for civilian use alongside its continuing military role, operating for a long period as a domestic airport with only a handful of flights. On 2 December 2021 it was redesignated and re-inaugurated as an international airport, part of a wider effort to develop it as a tourism hub for Gilgit-Baltistan. The first international flight, operated by Pakistan International Airlines from Dubai, landed at the airport on 14 August 2023. It remains adjacent to, and shares its main runway with, the Pakistan Air Force's Qadri airbase.
Skardu functions as the busiest airport in Gilgit-Baltistan, handling scheduled services to Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad and Sialkot, along with an international connection to Dubai, operated by carriers including Pakistan International Airlines, Airblue and AirSial. A government-funded upgrade project was reported in 2025, aimed at improving air connectivity and supporting the region's tourism economy. As a joint civil-military aerodrome, visiting pilots should expect shared use of the airfield with Pakistan Air Force operations.