--- iata: ISB name: Islamabad International Airport city: Islamabad country: Pakistan lastUpdated: '2026-09-21' officialWebsite: 'https://www.islamabadairport.com.pk/' sources: - 'https://www.islamabadairport.com.pk/' - 'https://islamabadairport.com.pk/About/About-Introduction.aspx' - 'https://islamabadairport.com.pk/Procedures/Departures/Pro-Departures.aspx' - 'https://islamabadairport.com.pk/Passengers/Pas-Taxi.aspx' - 'https://islamabadairport.com.pk/passengers/Pas-Parking.aspx' - 'https://islamabadairport.com.pk/Services/Services-OtherFacilities.aspx' - 'https://islamabadairport.com.pk/Services/Services-Restaurants.aspx' - 'https://www.prioritypass.com/en-GB/lounges/pakistan/islamabad-international' - >- https://my.prioritypass.com/en-GB/lounges/pakistan/islamabad-international/isb-airline-lounge - >- https://my.prioritypass.com/en-GB/lounges/pakistan/islamabad-international/isb2-cip-lounge - 'https://visa.nadra.gov.pk/' - 'https://visa.nadra.gov.pk/tourist-visa/' - 'https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/pakistan/entry-requirements' - 'https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamabad_International_Airport' - 'https://www.dawn.com/news/1914820' - >- https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/ride-hailer-careem-suspend-decade-old-pakistan-service-2025-06-18/ - 'https://www.sbp.org.pk/fe_manual/chapters/chapter18.htm' quickFacts: - >- One live passenger hall (IIAP / PAA): international and domestic under one roof, opened after Chaklala / Benazir Bhutto International. Official intro: inaugurated 20 April 2018 for regular flights. Wikipedia leftover 1 May 2018 infobox vs leftover 6 May 2018 'full operations' is leftover-conflicting — sit on the operator page. No numbered Terminal 2. No live third runway. No metro. No airport rail. Skip leftover BBIA as a passenger hall. - >- PCAA FY 2024–25 (July 2024–June 2025, Wikipedia): 6,804,439 passengers (+10.22%), 36,023 movements, 70,455 t cargo — Pakistan's busiest airport that year, ahead of Karachi. Official leftover 9 million is design capacity, not a year. Express Tribune leftover 7.87 million is calendar 2025 leftover-conflicting — sit on the PCAA fiscal year. Hub for Pakistan International Airlines; operating base for SereneAir. - >- Official campus: 19 km², 15 passenger boarding bridges (two A380-capable), 15 remote bays, 3 cargo bays, two ~3,600 m runways. Wikipedia leftover 10R/28L and 10L/28R 3,657.6 m asphalt is leftover-conflicting on the extra 57.6 m — sit on the operator 3,600 m. ICAO OPIS. Elevation 537 m / 1,761–1,762 ft. About 25 km south-west of Islamabad (Fateh Jang / Attock), on the Srinagar Highway / M-1 / M-2 interchange. Seven check-in zones, 112 counters, five-level security, parking 2,200 vehicles. - >- IIAP departures: arrive 4 hours before international flights and 1.5–2 hours before domestic. ASF screens you before check-in. International passengers need a valid passport and visa, plus a polio certificate (vaccination is free at Pakistani international airports). Do not invent leftover PIA 60-minute desk close or leftover 30-minute gate close from a reseller — confirm on live FIDS. - >- Two public Priority Pass rooms, both 00:00–23:59: Airline Lounge (international, airside after immigration and the ASF search, upstairs next to the stairs, ~3.7 / 783, access from 3 hours before departure, children under 2 free, prayer room, no showers) and CIP Lounge (domestic, opposite gates C3–C4, max 2 hours). DragonPass / Mastercard Travel Pass lists the same two rooms (Airline Lounge + Domestic CIP). LoungePair leftover 'Prestigio International Lounge' is that international CIP, not a third hall. - >- No Uber at ISB (app left Islamabad 11 October 2022). Careem ride-hailing ended 18 July 2025. Live apps: inDrive and Yango. Official taxis: Metro Radio Cab in the concourse 24 hours, Yellow Cab in the car park; PAA says they are not on a central meter — agree the fare before you sit. Orange Line Metrobus to the airport is live; CDA raised that fare to Rs 100 from 1 June 2025 (Dawn). Leftover Rs 90 from 26 Number Chungi is leftover-stale. bentoTips: - label: Timing title: International is a 4-hour airport detail: >- The operator's departure page is the one to sit on — leftover reseller 'desks die at 60 minutes / gates at 30' is not on islamabadairport.com.pk this pass. Live FIDS still prints a Check-In Closed clock per flight. Polio certificates are cleared at the Airport Health Desk; the shot itself is free at Pakistani international airports. summary: >- IIAP wants you 4 hours before an international departure and 1.5–2 hours before domestic. ASF screens bags at the door, then check-in, then immigration, then another search before the lounge. category: timing - label: Terminals title: 'One hall — international left, domestic right, no T2' detail: >- Official: 15 boarding bridges, 15 remote bays, golf carts in the departure/arrival lounges. Smoking rooms are on Level-3 — domestic north-east near B5/B6, international north-west and the east pier. Leftover BBIA / Chaklala as a live passenger terminal is leftover-wrong (that field is the old airbase). Leftover third runway is a land-acquisition story, not an open strip. summary: >- IIAP is a single 2018 passenger building. International and domestic share the curb and split after check-in. There is no numbered Terminal 2 and no airside walk to leftover Chaklala. category: terminal - label: Food title: Airside food court is 24/7 — names are unpublished detail: >- Do not invent leftover McDonald's landside 24/7 or leftover Starbucks as operator-confirmed this pass. Duty-free sits in the international departure lounge after immigration and the ASF search — the same walk as the Airline Lounge stairs. Everything airside is halal; importing alcohol or pork is illegal (FCDO). summary: >- PAA says most retail and dining in the international and domestic departure lounges run 24/7 for the Gulf banks. The official restaurants page does not name McDonald's or Starbucks. category: food - label: Visa title: Apply on visa.nadra.gov.pk — leftover VOA is leftover-wrong detail: >- FCDO: passport expiry at least 6 months after the visa application date; get the entry stamp. Tourist e-visa processing leftover 7–10 working days. Visa Prior to Arrival / visa-on-arrival for 126 nationalities disappeared from the portal on 1 January 2026 — do not plan to buy a sticker at ISB. NICOP / SNICOP holders enter as Pakistani citizens. SBP: take out at most Rs 3,000 in Pakistani notes (not to India); foreign currency above 18 is USD 10,000 per visit / USD 60,000 a year. summary: >- FCDO (British citizen passports): you need a visa and you must apply in advance. NADRA's Pakistan Online Visa System is the only official portal. GCC nationals are visa-free on the NADRA homepage. category: status lounges: - name: Airline Lounge zone: >- Airside international departures, upstairs next to the stairs after immigration and the ASF search hours: >- 00:00–23:59 daily; Priority Pass access from 3 hours before scheduled departure access: - >- Priority Pass (access from 3 hours before departure; children under 2 free; digital card; international only; ~3.7 from 783 reviews) - DragonPass / Mastercard Travel Pass (same international room) - First / business as sold by the operating airline - >- Walk-in leftover US$20–23 at the desk — LoungePair leftover US$23 vs LayoverIndex leftover ~US$20 is leftover-conflicting; confirm the till bestFor: - Priority Pass after international immigration - The only sit between the airside mall and the gates summary: >- The only public international room: Priority Pass 24/7, ~3.7, 3-hour access window, upstairs next to the stairs after immigration and the ASF search. Light buffet, prayer room, no showers, no alcohol. LoungePair leftover Prestigio is this same CIP, not a second international hall. verdict: worth-it terminal: Main terminal amenities: - Air conditioning - Soft drinks - >- Wi-Fi unpublished on the PP card this pass — digital card, FIDS, newspapers, televisions, telephone, disabled access - Separate prayer room - No showers - No alcohol (Pakistan) - name: CIP Lounge zone: 'Airside domestic departures, opposite gates C3 and C4' hours: '00:00–23:59 daily; Priority Pass stay capped at 2 hours' access: - >- Priority Pass (max 2 hours; children under 2 admitted; digital card; domestic only) - DragonPass / Mastercard Travel Pass (Domestic CIP Lounge) - 'Walk-in leftover ~Rs 800 — LayoverIndex leftover, confirm the till' bestFor: - Domestic Priority Pass between C3 and C4 summary: >- Domestic-only CIP opposite gates C3–C4, 24/7 on Priority Pass with a 2-hour cap. Same building as the international Airline Lounge, but you cannot cross after the domestic security split. Fine if you have time; skip it for a 40-minute domestic turn. verdict: depends terminal: Main terminal amenities: - Air conditioning - Soft drinks - Wi-Fi (listed on the Priority Pass CIP card) - Flight information - No showers - No alcohol (Pakistan) waterOptions: - kind: purchase name: Airside food-court bottle zone: airside price: Unpublished at the till — PKR card or cash; confirm the fridge summary: >- PAA says most dining in the departure lounges runs 24/7. Landside bottles do not survive the ASF X-ray. No named fountain on the operator pages this pass — do not invent leftover refill landmarks. location: >- 24/7 food court in the international or domestic departure lounge after security terminal: Main terminal isBestValue: true - kind: purchase name: Duty-free sealed bottle zone: airside price: Unpublished at the till summary: >- Sealed import water on the same airside mall as the Airline Lounge. Buy here if the food-court fridge is empty during a dawn Gulf bank. Not a quality claim beyond 'sealed and airside'. location: >- Duty-free island in the international departure lounge after immigration and the ASF search, on the walk to the Airline Lounge stairs terminal: Main terminal isBestQuality: true airportistScore: 6.6 slug: isb region: Asia-Pacific --- > Markdown for [/airports/isb](/airports/isb). Append `.md` to any page URL (or send `Accept: text/markdown`) for an agent-readable copy. - [HTML page](/airports/isb) - [Lounge directory](/airports/isb/lounges.md) - [Sitemap](/sitemap.md) # Islamabad International Airport (ISB) Islamabad, Pakistan · Asia-Pacific Islamabad's 2018 PAA hall is Pakistan's busiest on the PCAA FY 2024–25 count: one building, two 24/7 Priority Pass rooms, and a Metrobus — paid for with a 4-hour international, no Uber, leftover VOA that is leftover-wrong, and a 25 km highway hop. ## Airportist Score **6.6 / 10** Weighted sum of the six published categories (no holistic fudge). - Ease of use (25%): 7.0 — Wayfinding, security wait, and layout. - Comfort & amenities (20%): 6.8 — Seating, Wi-Fi, cleanliness, and quiet. - Food & retail (15%): 6.4 — Food and retail quality and variety. - Ground access (15%): 6.4 — Transit, taxi, and parking to the city. - Reliability (15%): 5.8 — Delays, cancellations, and weather resilience. - Lounges (10%): 6.6 — Worth-it density and access quality. ## At a glance - Passengers: 6,804,439 (FY 2024–25) - Terminals: 1 live hall: international and domestic under one roof. No numbered T2. No live third runway. - Typical security: 25 min - On-time: 0% - Disruption: moderate ## Best for - PIA / SereneAir connections that can sit one 2018 hall - Priority Pass after international immigration (Airline Lounge, ~3.7) - Orange Line Metrobus when you are not racing a connection ## Watch out for - FCDO: visa in advance on visa.nadra.gov.pk — leftover VPA / VOA is leftover-wrong - Uber left Islamabad in 2022; Careem ride-hailing ended 18 July 2025 - Official leftover 9 million is capacity, not FY 2024–25 traffic (6,804,439) - International is a 4-hour ASF + immigration airport ## More intel - [Lounge directory](/airports/isb/lounges.md) (free) - [Getting there](/airports/isb/getting-there.md) (free) - [Amenities](/airports/isb/amenities.md) (free) - [Traveler tips](/airports/isb/tips.md) (free) - [Water](/airports/isb/water.md) (free) - [Full guide](/airports/isb/guide.md) (free) - [Disruptions](/airports/isb/disruptions.md) (free) - [Reviews](/airports/isb/reviews.md) (free)