Benazir Bhutto International Airport

Benazir Bhutto International Airport بینظیر بھٹّو بین الاقوامی ہوائی اڈہ is the third-largest airport in Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

, serving the capital Islamabad

Islamabad

Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...

and its twin city Rawalpindi

Rawalpindi

Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...

in the province of Punjab

Punjab (Pakistan)

Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...

. Previously known as the Islamabad International Airport, it was renamed after the late Pakistani leader Benazir Bhutto

Benazir Bhutto

Benazir Bhutto was a democratic socialist who served as the 11th Prime Minister of Pakistan in two non-consecutive terms from 1988 until 1990 and 1993 until 1996....

by the Prime Minister of Pakistan

Prime Minister of Pakistan

The Prime Minister of Pakistan , is the Head of Government of Pakistan who is designated to exercise as the country's Chief Executive. By the Constitution of Pakistan, Pakistan has the parliamentary democratic system of government...

, Yusuf Raza Gillani on Friday, 21 June 2008.

The airport is actually located outside of Islamabad

Islamabad

, in the area of Chaklala Rawalpindi

Chaklala Rawalpindi

Chaklala is a major populated area of the city of Rawalpindi in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is located at 33°36'0N 73°6'0E with an altitude of 487 metres...

. 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

Pakistan Air Force

The Pakistan Air Force is the leading air arm of the Pakistan Armed Forces and is primarily tasked with the aerial defence of Pakistan with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and the Pakistan Navy. The PAF also has a tertiary role of providing strategic air transport...

, which refers to it as PAF Base Chaklala

PAF Base Chaklala

PAF Base Chaklala is an active Pakistan Air Force airbase located in Chaklala Rawalpindi, Punjab province, Pakistan. It also forms part of Islamabad International Airport.-History:The base was originally operated by the Royal Air Force as R.A.F...

.

Due to the ever-growing need for better facilities and services available for passengers, The Government of Pakistan

Government of Pakistan

The Government of Pakistan is a federal parliamentary system, with an indirectly-elected President as the Head of State and Commander in Chief of the Pakistani Armed Forces, and an indirectly-elected Prime Minister as the Head of Government. The President’s appointment and term are...

is constructing a new airport

New Islamabad International Airport

The New Islamabad International Airport is a international airport that is being built to serve the twin cites of Islamabad and Rawalpindi and the adjoining provinces of the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is located in Fateh Jang Tehsil of Attock District, which is 30 km southwest of...

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

Fateh Jang

Fateh Jang is a town and the tehsil headquarters of Attock District in the Punjab province of Pakistan...

, 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

Pakistan International Airlines

Pakistan International Airlines Corporation commonly known as PIA, is the flag carrier airline of Pakistan. The airline has its head office on the grounds of Jinnah International Airport in Karachi. and operates scheduled services to 24 domestic destinations and 38 international destinations in 27...

. It is also the hub of Shaheen Air International and a focus city of airblue

Airblue

Airblue Limited is a private airline with its head office on the 12th floor of the Islamabad Stock Exchange Towers in Islamabad, Pakistan. It is Pakistan's second largest airline with over 20% share of the domestic market...

Structure

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.

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

Airbus A380

The Airbus A380 is a double-deck, wide-body, four-engine jet airliner manufactured by the European corporation Airbus, a subsidiary of EADS. It is the largest passenger airliner in the world. Due to its size, many airports had to modify and improve facilities to accommodate it...

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

MCB

MCB or mcb may refer to:Biology:* Molecular and Cellular Biology, the subject of either molecular biology, or cellular biology* Molecular and Cellular Biology , a scientific journal published by the American Society for Microbiology...

, Barclays, Citibank

Citibank

Citibank, a major international bank, is the consumer banking arm of financial services giant Citigroup. Citibank was founded in 1812 as the City Bank of New York, later First National City Bank of New York...

, and Habib Bank

Habib Bank

For other uses of "Habib Bank", see Habib Bank HBL commonly referred to as "HBL Pakistan" and headquartered in Habib Bank Plaza, Karachi, Pakistan, is the largest bank in Pakistan. The bank has a network of over 1450 branches in Pakistan and 55 branches worldwide. It has a domestic market share of...

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

Smoking room

A Smoking room is a room which is specifically provided and furnished for smoking, generally in buildings where smoking is otherwise prohibited....

" 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 and destinations

Cargo airlines

Accidents and incidents

On August 1, 1948, a Onzeair Avro 691 Lancastrian XPP
Avro Lancastrian
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Franks, Richard A. The Avro Lancaster, Manchester and Lincoln: A Comprehensive Guide for the Modeller. London: SAM Publications, 2000. ISBN 0-9533465-3-6....

crash landed at the airport, due to poor adjustment by the foreign pilot and insecure cargo
Cargo
Cargo is goods or produce transported, generally for commercial gain, by ship, aircraft, train, van or truck. In modern times, containers are used in most intermodal long-haul cargo transport.-Marine:...

loads in the cabin causing the weight to alter causing the aircraft to become unbalanced. The aircraft was written off.
On May 18, 1959, a PIA
PIA
-In aviation::* Pacific Island Aviation* Pakistan International Airlines, the flag carrier of Pakistan.* Pearson International Airport, Toronto, Ontario * Peoria International Airport IATA code...

Vickers 815 Viscount
Vickers Viscount
The Vickers Viscount was a British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs, making it the first such aircraft to enter service in the world...

skidded off the runway causing the aircraft to stop in a monsoon ditch. The aircraft suffered substantial damage however no crew or passengers were harmed in the accident.
On February 4, 1986, a Pakistan International Airlines
Pakistan International Airlines
Pakistan International Airlines Corporation commonly known as PIA, is the flag carrier airline of Pakistan. The airline has its head office on the grounds of Jinnah International Airport in Karachi. and operates scheduled services to 24 domestic destinations and 38 international destinations in 27...

Boeing 747-200 performed a belly landing
Belly landing
A belly landing or gear-up landing occurs when an aircraft lands without its landing gear fully extended and uses its underside, or belly, as its primary landing device...

at the airport. Apparently the crew had failed to release the landing gear on final approach. No passengers or crew were hurt and the airport received minimal damage.
On February 15, 2002, Erik Audé
Erik Audé
Erik Audé is an American actor/stuntman/professional poker player who was arrested and jailed in Pakistan for drug trafficking.-History:Audé was born in Beverly Hills, California....

was arrested at Benazir Bhutto International Airport(then named Islamabad International Airport) for opium
Opium
Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...

possession.
During October 2005, Islamabad handled additional aircraft that provided aid for the affected people of Kashmir after the 2005 Kashmir earthquake
2005 Kashmir earthquake
The 2005 Kashmir earthquake was a major earthquake centered in Pakistan-administered Kashmir known as Azad Kashmir, near the city of Muzaffarabad, affecting Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It occurred at 08:52:37 Pakistan Standard Time on 8 October 2005...

. The largest of these aircraft was the An-225 Mriya. Virgin Atlantic Airways
Virgin Atlantic Airways
Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited is a British airline owned by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group and Singapore Airlines...

also operated a special relief flight to Islamabad using a Boeing 747
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...

with 55 tonnes of aid.
On 28 July 2010, Airblue Flight 202
Airblue Flight 202
Airblue Flight 202 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight which crashed on 28 July 2010 near Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, killing all 146 passengers and six crew on board. It is the deadliest air accident to occur in Pakistan to date...

, a domestic flight from Karachi operated by Airbus A321 AP-BJB, crashed into Margalla Hills in Islamabad while trying to land at the airport. The aircraft crashed into mountainous and wooded terrain near the city, killing all 152 persons on board.
From February 8 to 11 2011, there was a worker's strike at the airport against the selling of Destinations to Turkish Airlines, and the sacking of six Pakistan International Airlines Pilots. This led to the resignation of the MD of PIA, and caused the cancelling of many flights.

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Structure

Airlines and destinations

Cargo airlines

Accidents and incidents

See also

Further reading

External links