Gilgit Airport guide

Gilgit Airport (ICAO: OPGT) is a small domestic airport in Gilgit-Baltistan, in northern Pakistan. It sits at an elevation of 1,462 metres in the Gilgit valley, about 2.3 kilometres east of the town. The Karakoram, Hindu Kush and Himalaya ranges meet in this area, and the airport is the main air link for a region where the Karakoram Highway can close for days after landslides or snow.

The airfield was built in 1949 and given a paved surface in 1958. A new terminal building was completed in 2014 and opened by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The Pakistan Airports Authority operates the airport, which is owned by the Aviation Division of the Government of Pakistan. The single bitumen runway, 07/25, is 1,646 metres (5,400 feet) long.

Flying here depends on the weather. The runway lines up with the valley, which makes approaches difficult from both ends, and flights need good visibility. A flight that cannot land usually returns to Islamabad, so cancellations and delays are common. Between July 2024 and June 2025 the airport handled about 31,200 passengers and 827 aircraft movements. Pakistan International Airlines is the only scheduled carrier. It flies to Islamabad, and since 2022 it has also sold Karachi and Lahore tickets through a stop in Islamabad.