Getting to and from Islamabad International Airport

Islamabad International Airport serves both Islamabad and Rawalpindi, and it sits outside both of them: it is roughly as far from Saddar in Rawalpindi as it is from Zero Point in Islamabad. Neither city has a quick hop to the terminal, so the drive deserves the same planning wherever you start.

So treat the airport run as a proper journey rather than a quick errand across town: know when you need to arrive, and give yourself room for the unexpected.

Scheduled passenger flights moved to Islamabad International Airport in May 2018. Until then they used Benazir Bhutto International Airport in Chaklala, Rawalpindi, which no longer handles scheduled passenger flights.

Before you confirm a ride, check that the destination in the app is Islamabad International Airport. It takes a second, and it saves a stressful detour on the day of a flight.

Start from the check-in time your airline gives rather than the departure time. Add the drive, then a margin on top: office traffic in the morning and evening slows the roads out of both cities, and heavy rain slows them further. If your flight leaves at a busy time of day, set off earlier than you think you need to.

In winter, fog can delay, divert or cancel flights at Islamabad. Check your flight’s status before you leave home, especially on a foggy morning, so you don’t make the drive only to wait for hours in the terminal.

A few things make the ride itself easier:

• With suitcases, book a car rather than a motorbike.
• Have your bags by the door before you book, so loading takes a minute rather than ten.
• Keep your ticket and ID in your hand luggage, not in the boot.
• Share your ride live with whoever is seeing you off, so they know when you have reached the airport.

The roads are quieter in the small hours, but a very early or very late flight needs planning of its own. Pack the night before and leave your bags by the door, set an alarm that gives you time to get ready without rushing, and tell someone at home what time you plan to leave.

Seeing a relative off on a night flight? Ride out with them, then book your own ride home once they have gone inside. Agree beforehand how long you will stay, so nobody is left deciding at the kerb in the middle of the night.

Book your ride home once you have collected your bags and are ready to walk out, not as soon as the plane touches down. Immigration, the baggage belts and customs can take a while after an international flight, and booking when you are actually ready means the ride starts when you do.

If you are not sure where to meet your driver, message or call them from the app and say exactly where you are standing. A clear landmark is quicker to find than a general description, especially when the arrivals area is busy. Make sure your phone has mobile data before you walk out, because you will need it to book and to reach your driver.

Islamabad is laid out in lettered and numbered sectors, such as F-7 or G-9, which makes most addresses easy to find: have the sector, street and house number ready. Older parts of Rawalpindi are easier with a nearby landmark, such as a well-known market, mosque or school. Staying in a hotel or a guest house? Have its exact name and sector ready, because several places share similar names. Setting the right destination before you book saves phone calls and wrong turns at the end of a long journey.

Airport trips often mean more people and more bags than a normal ride. If everyone and everything won’t fit comfortably in one car, have a second person book a ride too, rather than squeezing suitcases onto laps for the whole drive. Agree on where you will meet at the airport before you set off, so nobody waits at the wrong door.

Travelling between Islamabad and Lahore as well? Our guide to driving from Islamabad to Lahore covers that road in both directions, and why to leave extra time in winter.