Sialkot (SKT): a chamber of commerce built this airport
Pakistan's only privately owned public airport, funded by Sialkot's own exporters. Fourteen kilometres out at Sambrial, one terminal, and a heavy Gulf route map.
- This is Pakistan's first and only privately owned public airport, built by the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry with money from the city's own business community.
- It sits about 14 km west of Sialkot, near Sambrial.
- Prepaid taxis into the city run about 800 to 1,200 rupees.
- App rides run about 600 to 1,000 rupees. Use Yango or InDrive: Uber left Pakistan in 2022 and Careem stopped ride-hailing on 18 July 2025, so guides naming them are stale.
- Car hire starts around 3,500 rupees a day.
- Shuttle service is limited. There is no reliable published bus route, so plan on a car.
- One integrated terminal with six gates handles both domestic and international traffic.
- Free wifi, currency exchange, prayer areas, ATMs, cafés and medical services are in the building.
- The route map is Gulf-heavy: Emirates to Dubai, Qatar Airways to Doha, Saudia to Jeddah and Riyadh, Turkish to Istanbul, Air Arabia to Sharjah.
- Domestically it is PIA, Airblue, AirSial and Serene Air. AirSial is itself a Sialkot business venture.
Why this airport is unusual
- Sialkot's exporters built it themselves. The Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry funded and developed the airport, making it the only privately owned public airport in Pakistan.
- That is not a curiosity, it is the explanation for the route map. Sialkot makes surgical instruments, sports goods and leather for export, and the city wanted its own direct links to the Gulf rather than a road run to Lahore.
- AirSial, one of the domestic carriers here, is also a Sialkot business venture.
Getting in
- 14 km west of Sialkot city centre, near Sambrial.
- Prepaid taxi: about 800 to 1,200 rupees to city areas.
- App ride: about 600 to 1,000 rupees. The apps that work are Yango and InDrive, not Uber or Careem, both of which have left the country.
- Car hire from about 3,500 rupees a day, which is worth considering if you are here on business across the district.
- Shuttle service is limited and there is no dependable public route. Arrange the ride rather than expecting to find one.
The terminal
- A single integrated terminal, six gates, handling domestic and international side by side.
- Free wifi, currency exchange, prayer areas, medical services, ATMs, cafés and cargo facilities.
- It is small and rarely chaotic, which is a pleasant contrast to Karachi or Lahore at peak.
The route map
- International: Emirates to Dubai, Qatar Airways to Doha, Saudia to Jeddah and Riyadh, Turkish Airlines to Istanbul, Air Arabia to Sharjah, plus Etihad, flynas and Batik Air.
- Domestic: PIA, Airblue, AirSial and Serene Air, with PIA the largest by departures and AirSial second.
- Lahore is about two hours away by road, so Sialkot is a genuine alternative arrival point for the northern Punjab rather than a niche one.
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