Jinnah International Airport (Urdu: جناح بین الاقوامی ہوائی اڈا) (IATA: KHI, ICAO: OPKC), formerly Drigh Road Airport or Karachi Civil Airport, is Pakistan's busiest international and domestic airport, and handled 7,267,582 passengers in 2017–2018. Located in Karachi, the largest city and commercial capital of Pakistan and capital of the province of Sindh, it is named after Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the statesman founder of Pakistan. It is one of the oldest airports in the world.

The airport is managed by the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), and serves as a hub for the national flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), airblue, and many other private airlines. The airport is equipped with aircraft engineering and overhauling facilities including the Ispahani Hangar for wide-body aircraft.

Imperial Airways was one of the first airlines to fly to Karachi in December 1926 when Pakistan was a part of British India.

J. R. D. Tata made the maiden voyage from Juhu Aerodrome in Bombay (now Mumbai) to Drigh Road airstrip (now Jinnah International Airport), Karachi, via Ahmedabad, on 15 October 1932, carrying mail in a Puss Moth aircraft.

During the late 1920s and early 1930s, there was a large black coloured airship hangar at the site of Karachi Airport, constructed for the British HMA R101, at the time, the largest aircraft ever built. Only three hangars were ever built in the world to dock and hangar Britain's fleet of passenger airships. However, the R101 never arrived in Karachi (then part of the British Raj) as it crashed and exploded just 8 hours into its maiden flight over Beauvais, France, killing all but 6 of its 54 passengers and crew. This hangar was so huge that aircraft often used it as a visual marker while attempting VFR landings at Karachi. Over the years, the hangar became known as the landmark of Karachi, until it was demolished by order of then-President Field Marshal Ayub Khan in the 1960s.

During World War II, Karachi Airport was a major transhipment base for United States Army Air Forces units and equipment being used by Tenth Air Force in eastern India, Burma and the Fourteenth Air Force in China. Several operational bomber and fighter units flew into Karachi for short organisational periods prior to their deployment. Air Technical Service Command had extensive facilities where aircraft were received, assembled and tested prior to being flown to their combat units at forward airfields. It also functioned as a major maintenance and supply depot for both air forces. In addition, Air Transport Command flew numerous cargo and passenger flights to the Middle East and to points within British India and China.

The airport facilities were further expanded in the 1980s to Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 respectively. The present day infrastructure of Jinnah International Complex is a result of an expansion programme carried out in 1994. Today, the new Jinnah Terminal handles both domestic and international flights, whereas Terminal 2 is now dedicated to Hajj operations. Terminal 1 (the original airport) is now the HQ of Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority and Terminal 3 is dedicated to commercial offices.

Between the 1960s and 1980s, it was an online station of airlines such as BOAC, Qantas, and Pan Am, featuring prominently on for Eurasia flights. In March 2006, Pakistan International Airlines began a nonstop flight to Toronto on Boeing 777s.

Jinnah International Airport has a capacity of handling 12 million passengers annually. In fiscal year 2008–2009, over 5,725,052 passengers used Jinnah International Airport. 50,095 aircraft movements were registered. It is a major focus city of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), as the primary hub has shifted to Islamabad. All other Pakistani airlines also use Jinnah International Airport as their main hub. These include airblue, SereneAir, Fly Jinnah, and AirSial as well as several charter carriers. The building is linked via connecting corridors to two satellites, each having a provision of eight passenger-loading bridges. The eastern satellite is devoted exclusively to handling international operations. The western satellite is used for domestic operations, as well as some international operations. This is achieved through a flexible arrangement of gates. The two satellites supplement the departure lounges of the terminal building and also provide shopping facilities, mobile recharging points, and snack counters.

The Jinnah Terminal was completed in 1992 at a cost of US$100 million – at the time the most expensive civil construction project in Pakistan. NESPAK (National Engineering Services Pakistan) and Airconsult (Frankfurt, Germany) were responsible for the architecture and planning of the terminal. Sogea Construction, a French company, was the contractor. Mukhtar Husain and Abdul Malik (NESPAK) were the Chief Engineers for the new terminal. In Karachi, the CIP Lounge can be used by all first and business class passengers on all outbound flights. Barclays, UBL and airblue have also introduced their dedicated lounges in the international terminal of the airport. There are a number of bank kiosks and ATMs that passengers can use at the airport. The airport is also where the majority of PIA's maintenance network is located, although some of its maintenance work also takes place at Islamabad International Airport, Islamabad. There are several hangars at the airport; the largest being the Ispahani Hangar (named after Mirza Ahmad Ispahani, the first chairman of PIA) that can accommodate two wide-body aircraft and one narrow body airliner (e.g. Boeing 737) at one time. On 15 February 2006, the first major overhaul of a Boeing 777-200ER aircraft (known as "C" check) was done at Ispahani Hangar. Most of the PIA aircraft are checked and regulated at the aircraft hangars in Karachi. The PIA maintenance also check other airline aircraft in Karachi. The head office of the Civil Aviation Authority of Pakistan is located in Terminal 1. Pakistan International Airlines has its head office on the grounds of the airport (PIA Building), as well as its central mainframe (CRC Building). CRC Building also houses the PIA frequent flyer programme, Awards +, as well as hosting SITA Bagtrak, the shared International Air Transport Association global lost luggage tracking computer network. PIA Engineering HQ, Cargo Village, Flight Kitchen, and PTC (PIA Training Centre) are also located here. Terminals 1 and Jinnah West also boast round-the-clock PIA booking offices and ticketing auto-kiosks.

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The Isphahani Hangar is PIA's wide-body aircraft maintenance hangar at Jinnah International Airport. It has been named in honour of Mirza Ahmed Isphahani, the first and longest serving chairperson of Pakistan International Airlines from its inception in 1954 until 1962. The new jet hangar for wide-body and narrow-body aircraft with a supporting airframe overhaul shop was completed and commissioned in 1968. Most of the PIA aircraft are checked and regulated at the aircraft hangars in Karachi. The PIA maintenance also check other airline aircraft in Karachi such as Philippine Airlines, Yemenia and Turkish Airlines.

Jinnah Airport has one main terminal, divided into two concourses and five floors:

• The Jinnah East Satellite Concourse, used for international flights
• The Jinnah West Satellite Concourse, used for domestic flights

The airport has two runways measuring 3,200m and 3,400m in length respectively. Runways 25R/07L and 25L/07R have a width of 46 m (150 ft) and 45m respectively. The runways are capable of handling up to Boeing 747-400, Airbus A350 XWB & Antonov An-225 Mriya aircraft. The runways have capacity to handle 15 flights per hour and can accommodate simultaneous landings and take offs. Runways 25R and 25L are equipped with ILS CAT-I to guide landing aircraft safely under very poor weather conditions and in low visibility conditions, such as fog. The taxiway is able to handle 12 aircraft at any one moment while the parking area measures 266,000 sq metres and is able to accommodate 42 aircraft, 12 of which through air bridges linking them directly with the terminal building. In addition to this, there are remote parking bays for 30 aircraft.

Airlines	Destinations
Air Arabia	Sharjah
Air China	Beijing–Capital
airblue	Dubai–International, Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta
AirSial	Islamabad, Jeddah, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta
Batik Air Malaysia	Kuala Lumpur–International
Cham Wings Airlines	Damascus
Emirates	Dubai–International
Ethiopian Airlines	Addis Ababa
Etihad Airways	Abu Dhabi
Fly Jinnah	Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta
flydubai	Dubai–International
Flynas	Jeddah
Gulf Air	Bahrain
Iran Air	Tehran–Imam Khomeini
Iraqi Airways	Najaf
Jazeera Airways	Kuwait City
Oman Air	Muscat
Pakistan International Airlines	Dammam, Dubai–International, Faisalabad, Gwadar, Islamabad, Jeddah, Lahore, Medina, Multan, Muscat, Quetta, Skardu, Sukkur, Toronto–Pearson, Turbat
Pegasus Airlines	Istanbul–Sabiha Gökçen
Qatar Airways	Doha
SalamAir	Muscat
Saudia	Jeddah, Riyadh
Serene Air	Islamabad, Jeddah, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta
SriLankan Airlines	Colombo–Bandaranaike
Thai Airways International	Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi
Turkish Airlines	Istanbul

: Air China's flight from Beijing to Karachi makes a stop-over at Islamabad but the flight from Karachi to Beijing is non-stop. Air China does not have eighth freedom rights to transport passengers solely between Karachi and Islamabad.

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Airlines	Destinations
DHL Aviation	Abu Dhabi, Bagram, Bahrain
MNG Airlines	Kabul
Qatar Cargo	Doha
Royal Jordanian Cargo	Amman, Dubai
SF Airlines	Guiyang
TCS Courier	Dubai–International, Islamabad, Lahore
Turkish Cargo	Colombo–Bandaranaike, Istanbul, Singapore
YTO Cargo Airlines	Kashgar, Kunming, Nanning

The following table provides details of the major traffic flows out of Karachi Airport in terms of passenger numbers, aircraft movements, cargo as well as mail. The results were collected by the Civil Aviation Authority of Pakistan:

Year	Aircraft movements (commercial)	Passengers (intl. & domestic)	Cargo handled (M. tons)	Mail handled (M. tons)
2006-07	52,990	5,460,328	152,364	2,828
2007-08	50,622	5,865,859	161,762	2,832
2008-09	49,920	5,698,164	144,993	2,189
2009-10	53,295	5,832,494	149,498	2,787
2010-11	50,924	6,032,999	142,364	2,324
2011-12	52,682	5,968,531	142,544	2,478
2012-13	49,075	5,966,349	154,924	1,984
2013-14	48,519	6,397,316	136,124	2,101
2014-15	48,832	6,267,068	125,716	2,747
2015-16	54,509	6,602,181	124,346	13,236
2016-17	61,428	6,903,948	126,498	13,792
2017-18	51,890	7,267,026	130,361	12,214
2018-19	42,339	6,802,121	120,559	23,909
2019-20	31,200	4,381,949	97,742	8,936
2020-21	26,743	3,366,509	97,887	4,396
2021-22	35,259	5,165,904	94,560	1,698

Busiest routes at Jinnah International Airport (by number of flights weekly)

Rank	City	Country	Number of flights	Airlines
1	Islamabad	Pakistan	105	Serene Air, Pakistan International Airlines, airblue, AirSial
2	Dubai	United Arab Emirates	78	Emirates, Pakistan International Airlines, flydubai
3	Lahore	Pakistan	69	airblue, Pakistan International Airlines, Serene Air, AirSial
4	Jeddah	Saudi Arabia	36	airblue, Pakistan International Airlines, Saudia
5	Sharjah	United Arab Emirates	27	Air Arabia, Pakistan International Airlines
6	Muscat	Oman	22	Oman Air, Salam Air, Pakistan International Airlines
7	Doha	Qatar	19	Qatar Airways, Pakistan International Airlines
8	Abu Dhabi	United Arab Emirates	16	Etihad Airways, Pakistan International Airlines
9	Istanbul	Turkey	11	Turkish Airlines, Pegasus Airlines, Pakistan International Airlines
10	Bahrain	Bahrain	11	Gulf Air

Traffic flow 2018-2019

Total aircraft movement (number)					Total passengers (numbers)			Total cargo (M. tons)			Total mail (M. tons)
Commercial			Non-commercial	Grand total	Domestic	International	Total	Domestic	International	Total	Domestic	International	Total
Domestic	International	Total
23,598	23,207	46,805	427	47,232	2,526,702	3,685,783	6,212,485	18,181	81,723	99,904	65	22,254	22,319

Jinnah International Airport is situated near the highly populated areas of Gulistan-e-Jauhar and Malir. It is easily accessible through Shahrah-e-Faisal Road from any part of the city.

The airport has a heptagon carpark which can accommodate more than 3000 vehicles.

Buses, mini buses and taxis are also available to the airport. There are also a number of traditional auto-rickshaws available at the airport parking area and entrance which are quite popular to travel short distances within the city.

Karachi Cantonment railway station is the nearest railway station from the airport to get the railway connections for the other parts of country. There is also a commuter rail station, Karachi Airport Station, which is located 2 km southwest of main Jinnah Terminal, just south of Star Gate.

In 2013, the son of a politician Sher Muhammad Baloch thrashed an official of local airline.

In 2018, a male passenger was thrashed by the officials at the airport.

Date	Aircraft	Registration	Flight no	Airline	Occupants	Fatalities	Details
27 December 1947	Douglas DC-3	VT-AUG	1947 Korangi Creek crash	Air-India	23	23	The DC-3 lost control after takeoff and struck the ground in a 30deg angle whilst in a violent sideslip to the right.
3 March 1953	de Havilland DH-106 Comet 1A	CF-CUN		Canadian Pacific Air Lines (CP Air)	11	11	Failed to take off and crashed into a dry river bed. First fatal passenger jet airliner crash.
5 August 1956	Hermes IV	G-ALDK		Britavia			Suffered the collapse of the nose undercarriage at Drigh Road Airport. The aircraft was damaged beyond economic repair.
14 August 1959	Vickers Viscount	AP-AJE		Pakistan International Airlines	3	2	Aircraft crashed at Karachi International Airport while attempting an overshoot with two engines inoperative on a training flight.
5 September 1986	Boeing 747-121		Pan Am Flight 73	Pan American World Airways	381	20	Aircraft was hijacked by Palestinian gunmen posing as airport officials upon arrival from Bombay (now Mumbai), India. 20 people were killed when the gunmen opened fire on the passengers as commandos prepared to storm the airplane whilst still on the ground.
5 November 2010	Beechcraft 1900		JS Air Flight 201	JS Air	21	21	A plane chartered by the Italian oil company, ENI crashed a minute after takeoff. All 21 passengers and crew on board - 17 ENI employees, 2 pilots, a security guard and a technician - were killed. Among the dead were 20 Pakistani nationals and 1 Italian national.
28 November 2010	Ilyushin Il-76	4L-GNI	Sun Way Flight 4412	Sun Way	8	10	Aircraft crashed in a populated area of Karachi shortly after taking off from Jinnah International Airport. All eight people on board were killed, as were a further two people on the ground. The aircraft was reported to have been trying to return to Jinnah International after suffering an engine fire.
22 May 2020	Airbus A320-214	AP-BLD	Pakistan International Airlines Flight 8303	Pakistan International Airlines	99	97	A domestic passenger flight from Lahore to Karachi crashed into the Model Colony residential area while on a second ILS approach to Jinnah International Airport.

• Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority
• Transport in Pakistan

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

Media related to Jinnah International Airport at Wikimedia Commons

• Airport Information In Pakistan
• Official website
• Jinnah International Airport at the Civil Aviation Authority of Pakistan
• Jinnah International Airport Information
• Current weather for OPKC at NOAA/NWS
• Accident history for KHI at Aviation Safety Network