Gilgit Airport

Gilgit Airport (IATA: GIL, ICAO: OPGT) is a small domestic airport situated 1.25 nm (2.3 km) east of Gilgit,[4] a city in the Gilgit-Baltistan territory of Pakistan. The city of Gilgit is one of the two major hubs for mountaineering expeditions in the northern areas of Pakistan.

Gilgit Airport
گلگت ہوائی اڈا
Summary
Airport typePublic
ServesGilgit-15100, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan
Elevation AMSL4,796 ft / 1,462 m
Coordinates35°55′07″N 074°20′01″E
Map
GIL is located in Gilgit Baltistan
GIL
GIL
GIL is located in Pakistan
GIL
GIL
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
07/25 1,646 5,400 Asphalt
Statistics (2018–19[1][2][3])
Passengers45,137
Passenger changeIncrease18.2%
Aircraft movements1,286

Structure
Gilgit Airport in December 2015
ATR 42-500 at Gilgit Airport in July 2016

Because of its short runway located at the edge of a slope, even Boeing 737s and similar-sized jet aircraft cannot operate at Gilgit Airport. Pakistan International Airlines operates ATR 42 aircraft on the Gilgit-Islamabad route. In the past, Fokker F-27 Friendships were used. Other aircraft that operate at the airport include the military Lockheed C-130 Hercules.

A new terminal was constructed in 2014 and inaugurated by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.[5]

The airport was planned to be twice as extensive, but waterlogged ground led to half the land being instead used for a public park, CAA Park or City Park Gilgit.

Airlines and destinations

Due to the small size of the airport planes like ATR-42 and C-130 are able to safely land on this airport. Flights are scheduled mostly from Islamabad. However, in 2022, PIA started flights from Karachi and Lahore through a stopover at Islamabad.[6]

AirlinesDestinations
Pakistan International Airlines Islamabad
View from Barmus Valley

Accidents
The plane involved in the incident in 2019
PIA Flight PK 605 Registration AP-BHP involved in the accident at Gilgit Airport. The aircraft has been written off.
  • On August 25, 1989, Pakistan International Airlines Flight 404, a Fokker F27 carrying 54 people, disappeared after leaving Gilgit. The wreckage has not been found.[7]
  • On July 20, 2019, Pakistan International Airlines Flight 605, an ATR carrying 53 people, skidded off the runway and came to rest on the grass. All the passengers were evacuated safely, but the plane was damaged.[8]

See also

References
  1. - 2019-APT.pdf "Major Traffic Flows By Airports During The Year 2018–2019", Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority, archived on August 27, 2021.
  2. "Airport information for OPGT". World Aero Data. Archived from the original on 2019-03-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) Data current as of October 2006. Source: DAFIF.
  3. Airport information for GIL at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006).
  4. AIP Pakistan: OPGT – Gilgit Archived 2007-10-19 at the Wayback Machine
  5. "Gilgit gets new airport building", Greater Kashmir, December 6, 2014, updated March 14, 2015.
  6. "PIA to resume Gilgit, Skardu flights on Mar 3", Dawn, February 19, 2022.
  7. "Aircraft accident Fokker F27 Friendship AP-BBF Himalaya Mountains", Aviation Safety Network, retrieved September 7, 2021.
  8. "PIA plane escapes accident at Gilgit airport", Pakistan Today, July 20, 2019.


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