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.
Structure
Gilgit Airport in December 2015ATR 42-500 at Gilgit Airport in July 2016
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]
The plane involved in the incident in 2019PIA Flight PK 605 Registration AP-BHP involved in the accident at Gilgit Airport. The aircraft has been written off.
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]
