Allama Iqbal International Airport


Allama Iqbal International Airport is the third-largest civil airport by traffic in Pakistan, serving Lahore, the capital of Punjab province and the second-largest city of Pakistan. It also serves a large portion of the travellers from the other regions of Punjab province. Originally known as Lahore International Airport, it was renamed after the poet-philosopher Allama Iqbal, one of the pioneers that led to the creation of Pakistan.
The airport has three terminals: the Allama Iqbal terminal, the Hajj terminal and a cargo terminal. The airport is about 15 km from the centre of the city. Expansion work of airport started in 2018; it is to increase the terminal, car parking space and passenger capacity to 25 million.

History

Post independence

At the time of the Independence of Pakistan, Walton Airport was the main airport of Lahore. When Pakistan International Airlines acquired its first Boeing 720 Walton was unable to handle the load of a jet aircraft. The Government of Pakistan decided to build a brand new airport, which opened in 1962. The airport had a specifically built runway and apron to handle aircraft up to the Boeing 747. This allowed Lahore to open its gates to the world. PIA initiated direct flights to Dubai and London via Karachi.

AIIA Terminal

Over the course of the next twenty five years the demand for air travel rose. It meant that the government had to build a bigger terminal to meet the growing needs of the region. In March 2003, a new terminal was inaugurated by President General Pervez Musharraf originally commissioned by then ex prime minister Nawaz Sharif. The airport was named Allama Iqbal International Airport and became the second largest airport in Pakistan after Jinnah International Airport in Karachi. All flights were switched to the new airport and the old airport was passed onto the military. However, the government later reclaimed the airport from the military and developed it into a Hajj terminal.
The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority awarded the main contract to Airsys ATM, leader of a consortium with J&P Overseas Ltd, an international building and civil engineering contractor. Airsys ATM is a joint project from Thomson-CSF Airsys and Siemens, dedicated to air traffic management systems and airport development. The Airports Group in the UK was also awarded a $70m contract for airport systems construction. The project was implemented by a consortium of Joannou & Paraskevaides, responsible for civil and building works, and the Airports Group, responsible for the systems implementation. Airsys ATM and Thales ATM were responsible for the fabrication and installation of the air bridges at the new terminal.
In 2008, the national flag carrier of the UAE, Etihad Airways, opened a dedicated aircraft line maintenance facility in Lahore. The state-of-the-art facility is used for day-to-day technical line maintenance on Etihad aircraft, including hydraulic structural and instrument checks.

Expansion plans

Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority has planned the expansion of terminal building and number of gates will be increased from 7 to 22, with a corresponding increase in remote bays. This will increase the annual passenger capacity of Lahore Airport from 6 million to 20 million which will be sufficient to cater the passenger load for next 15 to 20 years.
The new design of Lahore Airport Expansion Project has inspiration from the national flower of Pakistan, Jasmine or locally known as "Chambeli". Airport will have 4 arms similar to 4 platters of Jasmine flower. Original building has Mughal architectural features but new airport will have blend of Spanish and Mughal Architecture.
Gates in the main terminal building will be increased from seven to twenty two. The present terminal building will not be demolished but will be expanded. The current parking area will be converted to arrival and departure lounges. Square lawn in front of airport will be converted to round shape 3-storey car parking area. It will be ensured that car parking space is sufficient to serve in the peak hours.
The design of the airport was developed by GilBartolomé Architects from Spain, following a contract awarded to international Spanish Firm, TYSPA International, which firm also worked on expanding the Madrid and São Paulo Airports. A Chinese firm, the China Construction Third Engineering Bureau, has been awarded the contract, worth US$382 million, to carry out the construction work. During the expansion of the airport, nearby road networks will also be improved, which will help to ease traffic congestion on the roads leading to Lahore Airport.

Structure

The information below is correct as of 2015 in regard to the AIIA Terminal.

Lounges

Allama Iqbal International Airport connects Lahore with many cities worldwide by both passenger and cargo flights.

Passenger

Cargo

Statistics

The following table provides details of the major traffic flows out of Lahore in terms of passenger numbers, aircraft movements, cargo and mail. Please note that Civil Aviation Authority of Pakistan operates with fiscal years starting on July and ending in June of next year. The results were collected from the :
Fiscal YearAircraft movementsPassengers Cargo handled Mail handled
200630,9912,779,22366,6431,582
200729,2983,018,22075,8161,713
200830,2993,217,84476,0301,113
200924,8043,506,26284,7981,739
201031,0933,459,21180,3081,449
201130,5923,680,43677,0571,544
201231,4984,122,00991,0151,121
201329,9424,529,68289,3761,348
201429,8964,606,76783,715250
201534,6194,876,12988,750239
201638,9244,989,46298,254302
201739,2285,031,857105,019261

RankCityCountryNumber of flightsAirlines
1Karachi61airblue, Pakistan International Airlines, Serene Air
2Jeddah33airblue, Pakistan International Airlines, Saudia
3Dubai26airblue, Emirates, Pakistan International Airlines
4Abu Dhabi22airblue, Etihad Airways, Pakistan International Airlines
5Doha21Qatar Airways
6Islamabad17Pakistan International Airlines
7Muscat16Oman Air, Pakistan International Airlines
8Dammam12Flynas, Pakistan International Airlines, SaudiGulf Airlines
9Riyadh10Flynas, Pakistan International Airlines, Saudia
10Kuwait City09Jazeera Airways, Kuwait Airways

Awards and recognitions