Gilgit Airport is a small domestic airport situated 1.25 nm

Nautical mile

The nautical mile is a unit of length that is about one minute of arc of latitude along any meridian, but is approximately one minute of arc of longitude only at the equator...

 (2.3 km) east of Gilgit

Gilgit

Gilgit is a city in northern PakistanGilgit may refer to other terms related with the area of the city:* Gilgit River* Gilgit Valley* Gilgit District* Gilgit Agency * Gilgit Airport...

, a city in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of 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...

. The city of Gilgit is one of the two major hubs for all mountaineering expeditions in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. Many tourists choose to travel to Gilgit by air since the road travel between 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 Gilgit by Karakoram Highway

Karakoram Highway

The Karakoram Highway is the highest paved international road in the world, but at its peak at the China-Pakistan border it is only paved on the Chinese side. It connects China and Pakistan across the Karakoram mountain range, through the Khunjerab Pass, at an altitude of as confirmed by both...

 takes nearly 15 hours, whereas the air travel takes only about an hour.

Structure

Due to the short runway at Gilgit airport that is located at the edge of a slope, even an aircraft as small as a Boeing 737

Boeing 737

The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...

 aircraft cannot land and take-off at the Gilgit Airport. Currently PIA

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...

 operates French and Italian ATR 42

ATR 42

-Civil operators:The largest operators of the ATR-42 are FedEx Express, Airlinair, TRIP Linhas Aéreas,and Mexico City-based Aeromar respectively. Number of aircraft as of 2010:Some 70 other airlines operate smaller numbers of the type....

 aircraft on the Gilgit-Islamabad route. Other aircraft that operate at the airport

Airport

An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...

 include the military C-130 aircraft.

Airlines and destinations

See also

• List of airports in Pakistan
• Airlines of Pakistan
  Airlines of Pakistan
  The Pakistan aviation industry was started up when Orient Airways merged with Pakistan International Airlines Corporation to become the national flag carrier of Pakistan called Pakistan International Airlines...
  
  
• Transport in Pakistan
  Transport in Pakistan
  Transportation in Pakistan is extensive and varied but still in its developing stages and serving a population of over 170 million people. Construction of new airports, roads, and railway lines have led to an employment boost in the country. Much of Pakistan's road network and railway network...
  
  
• Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority
  Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority
  Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority is a regulatory authority, which oversees and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in Pakistan. Nearly all civilian airports in Pakistan are owned and operated by the CAA...