| Benazir Bhutto International Airport Islamabad International Airport بینظیر بھٹو بین الاقوامی ہوائی اڈہ |
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| IATA: ISB – ICAO: OPRN
ISB
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| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public / Military | ||
| Operator | Civil Aviation Authority of Pakistan | ||
| Serves | Islamabad and Rawalpindi | ||
| Location | Rawalpindi, Punjab | ||
| Hub for | |||
| Elevation AMSL | 1,688 ft / 508 m | ||
| Website | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| m | ft | ||
| 12/30 | 3,287 | 10,785 | Asphalt |
| Sources: AIP Pakistan[1] and DAFIF[2][3] | |||
Benazir Bhutto International Airport بینظیر بھٹّو بین الاقوامی ہوائی اڈہ (IATA: ISB, ICAO: OPRN) is the third-largest airport in Pakistan, serving the capital Islamabad and its twin city Rawalpindi in the province of Punjab. Previously known as the Islamabad International Airport, it was renamed after the late Pakistani leader Benazir Bhutto by the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Yusuf Raza Gillani on Friday, 21 June 2008.[4]
The airport is actually located outside of Islamabad, in the area of Chaklala Rawalpindi. Being the main airport for the Pakistani capital it often hosts officials and citizens from other nations. The airfield is shared with the transport and liaison squadrons of the Pakistan Air Force, which refers to it as PAF Base Chaklala.
Due to the ever-growing need for better facilities and services available for passengers, The Government of Pakistan is constructing a new airport in Islamabad. The new green field facility, the first in the nation, will be the biggest in Pakistan. The new location of the Islamabad International Airport has been selected at Fateh Jang, less than 20 km from Islamabad city centre (Blue Area), as measured from Zero Point. The construction of the new airport is underway and completion is estimated to be in 2013. In fiscal year 2007-2008, over 4.8 million passengers used Benazir Bhutto International Airport and 49,775 aircraft movements were registered. The airport serves as a hub for the flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines. It is also the hub of Shaheen Air International and a focus city of airblue.
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Benazir Bhutto International Airport is a civil and military airport which handles VIPs as well as public scheduled operations for many airlines. Foreign diplomats, high level government officials, as well as military officials are welcomed at this airport. The Rawal Lounge has been designated for use of these high profile personalities.[5]
There are separate lounges for international and domestic economy passengers. The domestic and international lounges have been provided with facilities that include wifi Internet, snack bars/light refreshments, satellite plasma TVs, telephone and fax facilities, and a global selection of newspapers/magazines. There are also lounges for transit passengers who may be travelling further internationally or domestically. The lounges also have designated prayer areas. The CIP lounge can be used by first and business class passengers travelling on international or domestic flights. Passengers have to be issued an airline card from the check-in staff. Currently, the airport is able to handle eleven wide body aircraft at one time, with additional five parking places for general aviation aircraft and it has the capacity to take off and landing of such aircraft as Airbus A380 or Boeing 747-8. At the moment, the airport does not have any air bridges installed, so buses take the passengers from the airport terminal to the aircraft where air stairs are used.
The airport has a wide variety of duty-free shops, restaurants, wifi Internet services and souvenir arts and crafts shops. There are numerous television monitors and mobile connecting points in the terminal to allow passengers to check flight times and recharge their phones. There are a string of financial exchange counters and commercial banks such as National Bank of Pakistan, Habib Bank Ltd, and MCB Bank Ltd. MCB, Barclays, Citibank, and Habib Bank have also launched ATMs that are linked to various global networks. To meet safety and health issues, the airport has also newly opened "Smoke Zones" within the lounge facilities. These are designated glass smoke boxes where passengers are allowed to smoke. The smoke is sucked out using the air conditioning so no smoke armours remain or spread within the airport lounges. The design is similar to the ones seen at various international airports.
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Airblue | Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Istanbul-Atatürk [begins 13 January], Karachi, Manchester, Sharjah |
| China Southern Airlines | Ürümqi Seasonal: Kashgar (Kashi) |
| Emirates | Dubai |
| Etihad Airways | Abu Dhabi |
| Gulf Air | Bahrain |
| Kuwait Airways | Kuwait |
| Kyrgystan | Bishkek |
| Nas Air | Jeddah, Riyadh |
| Oman Air | Muscat |
| Pakistan International Airlines | Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Amsterdam, Bahawalpur, Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Barcelona, Beijing-Capital, Birmingham, Chicago-O'Hare, Chitral, Copenhagen, Dammam, Dera Ghazi Khan, Dera Ismail Khan, Doha, Dubai, Frankfurt, Gilgit, Hong Kong, Hyderabad, Jeddah, Kabul, Karachi, Kuwait, Lahore, Leeds/Bradford, London-Heathrow, Manchester, Milan-Malpensa, Multan, Muscat, Nawabshah, Oslo-Gardermoen, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Peshawar, Quetta, Rahim Yar Khan, Riyadh, Sharjah, Sialkot, Skardu, Sukkur, Tokyo-Narita, Toronto-Pearson, Zhob |
| Qatar Airways | Doha |
| Saudi Arabian Airlines | Dammam, Jeddah, Riyadh |
| Shaheen Air | Abu Dhabi, Dammam, Karachi |
| Thai Airways International | Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi |
| Turkish Airlines | Istanbul-Atatürk |
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Reem Air | Sharjah |
| Royal Airlines Cargo | |
| Star Air Aviation | |
| TCS Courier | Dubai, Karachi, Lahore, London-Heathrow |