Allama Iqbal International Airport

Allama Iqbal International — named for the poet-philosopher Muhammad Iqbal, whose 1930 Allahabad address articulated the case for a separate Muslim homeland in South Asia — is the primary airport of Lahore, Pakistan's cultural capital and the country's second-largest city with a metropolitan population exceeding 13M. Lahore anchors Pakistan's Punjab province, the country's agricultural and manufacturing heartland, and the airport is the main aerial gateway for a catchment that extends across central and eastern Punjab to the Indian border. Two parallel runways — 3,360 m (11,024 ft) and 2,743 m (9,000 ft) — and a three-concourse terminal support approximately 72 routes to 32 destinations through 30 airlines, making LHE Pakistan's third-busiest airport after Karachi and Islamabad. The network is overwhelmingly focused on Gulf labor migration: Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman are served at high frequency by Pakistan International, Saudia, Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways, FlyDubai, Air Arabia, Kuwait Airways, and SalamAir. Additional scheduled services cover the UK (British Airways and Virgin Atlantic to London), mainland Europe (Turkish Airlines via Istanbul), China (Air China, Urumqi via China Southern), and the Southeast Asian Muslim-diaspora circuit including Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta. The current terminal complex opened in 2003 on the east side of the airport, replacing a 1960s facility. Lahore's aviation history predates most South Asian airports: the Walton aerodrome was a key Royal Air Force station during World War II, and civilian scheduled service began in the 1940s. The airport also hosts Pakistan Air Force facilities and is the operational base for PIA's Hajj charter fleet during pilgrimage season. Passenger traffic reached approximately 6M in 2023, with significant growth forecast from Punjab's demographic expansion.