# Allama Iqbal International Airport (LHE / OPLA)

**Allama Iqbal International Airport** (IATA: LHE, ICAO: OPLA) is a large airport in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It opened in 1962. It has 2 runways; the longest is 3,360 m (11,024 ft). It is operated by Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority. In 2018 it handled 4.5 million passengers.

Web page: https://dromopedia.com/airports/opla

## At a glance

- IATA / ICAO: LHE / OPLA
- Type: Large airport
- Operator: Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority
- Serves: Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
- Opened: 1962
- Elevation: 217 m / 712 ft
- Coordinates: 31.5216, 74.4036
- Runways: 2
- Longest runway: 3,360 m / 11,024 ft
- Passengers: 4,490,182 (2018)
- Time zone: UTC+5 · Asia/Karachi
- Website: http://www.lahoreairport.com.pk
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allama_Iqbal_International_Airport (35 languages)
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q60879
- Weather station: OPLA · WMO 41641
- Ident: OPLA

## Timeline

- 1962: Allama Iqbal International Airport opens.
- 31 Aug 2012: Pakistan International Airlines Flight 653. No deaths.

## Runways

| Ident | Length | Width | Surface | True headings | Lighted |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 18L/36R | 3,360 m / 11,024 ft | 46 m / 151 ft | Concrete | 181° / 001° | yes |
| 18R/36L | 2,743 m / 9,000 ft | 46 m / 151 ft | Asphalt | 181° / 001° | yes |

## Passengers per year

| Year | Passengers | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2010 | 3,459,211 | Wikidata |
| 2018 | 4,490,182 | Wikidata |

## Routes

24 destinations in 16 countries. From the airport's Wikipedia article.

### Year-round (22)

- [ISB](https://dromopedia.com/airports/opis.md) Islamabad International Airport · Pakistan · 270 km / 168 mi · Fly Jinnah
- [KDU](https://dromopedia.com/airports/opsd.md) Skardu International Airport · Pakistan · 437 km / 272 mi · airblue
- [UET](https://dromopedia.com/airports/opqt.md) Quetta International Airport · Pakistan · 726 km / 451 mi · Fly Jinnah, airblue
- [TAS](https://dromopedia.com/airports/uttt.md) Tashkent International Airport · Uzbekistan · 1,175 km / 730 mi · Centrum Air, Uzbekistan Airways
- [BSZ](https://dromopedia.com/airports/uafm.md) Manas International Airport · Kyrgyzstan · 1,283 km / 797 mi · Aero Nomad Airlines
- [MHD](https://dromopedia.com/airports/oimm.md) Mashhad International Airport · Iran · 1,458 km / 906 mi · Kish Air, Iran Airtour, Iran Air
- [MCT](https://dromopedia.com/airports/ooms.md) Muscat International Airport · Oman · 1,814 km / 1,127 mi · Fly Jinnah, SalamAir
- [DXB](https://dromopedia.com/airports/omdb.md) Dubai International Airport · United Arab Emirates · 1,985 km / 1,233 mi · Fly Jinnah, Emirates, AirSial
- [AUH](https://dromopedia.com/airports/omaa.md) Zayed International Airport · United Arab Emirates · 2,089 km / 1,298 mi · Etihad Airways, AirSial
- [DOH](https://dromopedia.com/airports/othh.md) Hamad International Airport · Qatar · 2,330 km / 1,448 mi · Qatar Airways
- [BAH](https://dromopedia.com/airports/obbi.md) Bahrain International Airport · Bahrain · 2,381 km / 1,479 mi · Fly Jinnah
- [GYD](https://dromopedia.com/airports/ubbb.md) Heydar Aliyev International Airport · Azerbaijan · 2,396 km / 1,489 mi · airblue, Azerbaijan Airlines
- [DMM](https://dromopedia.com/airports/oedf.md) King Fahd International Airport · Saudi Arabia · 2,452 km / 1,524 mi · Fly Jinnah, airblue
- [CMB](https://dromopedia.com/airports/vcbi.md) Bandaranaike International Colombo Airport · Sri Lanka · 2,766 km / 1,719 mi · FitsAir
- [RUH](https://dromopedia.com/airports/oerk.md) King Khalid International Airport · Saudi Arabia · 2,802 km / 1,741 mi · Fly Jinnah, Riyadh Air, flyadeal, AirSial
- [NJF](https://dromopedia.com/airports/orni.md) Al Najaf International Airport · Iraq · 2,828 km / 1,757 mi · Iraqi Airways
- [BGW](https://dromopedia.com/airports/orbi.md) Baghdad International Airport / New Al Muthana Air Base · Iraq · 2,829 km / 1,758 mi · Fly Baghdad
- [BKK](https://dromopedia.com/airports/vtbs.md) Suvarnabhumi Airport · Thailand · 3,337 km / 2,074 mi · Thai Airways
- [JED](https://dromopedia.com/airports/oejn.md) King Abdulaziz International Airport · Saudi Arabia · 3,653 km / 2,270 mi · airblue
- [CAN](https://dromopedia.com/airports/zggg.md) Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport · China · 3,921 km / 2,436 mi · China Southern Airlines
- [IST](https://dromopedia.com/airports/ltfm.md) İstanbul Airport · Türkiye · 4,178 km / 2,596 mi · Turkish Airlines
- [KUL](https://dromopedia.com/airports/wmkk.md) Kuala Lumpur International Airport · Malaysia · 4,291 km / 2,666 mi · Batik Air Malaysia

### Cargo (3)

- [BAH](https://dromopedia.com/airports/obbi.md) Bahrain International Airport · Bahrain · 2,381 km / 1,479 mi · DHL Aviation
- [LHW](https://dromopedia.com/airports/zlll.md) Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport · China · 2,738 km / 1,701 mi · YTO Cargo Airlines
- [EHU](https://dromopedia.com/airports/zhec.md) Ezhou Huahu International Airport · China · 3,856 km / 2,396 mi · SF Airlines

## Airlines

The figure is how many destinations each airline flies from LHE, as the routes above have them. Hubs from Wikidata.

### Hub airlines (2)

- PAA [Pakistan Aviators & Aviation](https://dromopedia.com/airlines/pakistan-aviators-and-aviation)
- PK [Pakistan International Airlines](https://dromopedia.com/airlines/pakistan-international-airlines)

### Passenger (23)

- 9P [Fly Jinnah](https://dromopedia.com/airlines/fly-jinnah) · 7
- PA [airblue](https://dromopedia.com/airlines/airblue) · 5
- PF [AirSial](https://dromopedia.com/airlines/airsial) · 3
- [Aero Nomad Airlines](https://dromopedia.com/airlines/aero-nomad-airlines) · 1
- J2 [Azerbaijan Airlines](https://dromopedia.com/airlines/azerbaijan-airlines) · 1
- OD [Batik Air Malaysia](https://dromopedia.com/airlines/batik-air-malaysia) · 1
- C6 [Centrum Air](https://dromopedia.com/airlines/centrum-air) · 1
- CZ [China Southern Airlines](https://dromopedia.com/airlines/china-southern-airlines) · 1
- EK [Emirates](https://dromopedia.com/airlines/emirates) · 1
- EY [Etihad Airways](https://dromopedia.com/airlines/etihad-airways) · 1
- 8D [FitsAir](https://dromopedia.com/airlines/fitsair) · 1
- IF [Fly Baghdad](https://dromopedia.com/airlines/fly-baghdad) · 1
- F3 [flyadeal](https://dromopedia.com/airlines/flyadeal) · 1
- IR [Iran Air](https://dromopedia.com/airlines/iran-air) · 1
- B9 [Iran Airtour](https://dromopedia.com/airlines/iran-airtour) · 1
- IA [Iraqi Airways](https://dromopedia.com/airlines/iraqi-airways) · 1
- Y9 [Kish Air](https://dromopedia.com/airlines/kish-air) · 1
- QR [Qatar Airways](https://dromopedia.com/airlines/qatar-airways) · 1
- RX [Riyadh Air](https://dromopedia.com/airlines/riyadh-air) · 1
- OV [SalamAir](https://dromopedia.com/airlines/salamair) · 1
- TG [Thai Airways](https://dromopedia.com/airlines/thai-airways) · 1
- TK [Turkish Airlines](https://dromopedia.com/airlines/turkish-airlines) · 1
- HY [Uzbekistan Airways](https://dromopedia.com/airlines/uzbekistan-airways) · 1

### Cargo (3)

- [DHL Aviation](https://dromopedia.com/airlines/dhl-aviation) · 1
- O3 [SF Airlines](https://dromopedia.com/airlines/sf-airlines) · 1
- YG [YTO Cargo Airlines](https://dromopedia.com/airlines/yto-cargo-airlines) · 1

## Rankings

Ranked among 48,075 open airports; = marks a shared place.

| Measure | Value | World | Region | Country |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Passengers | 4.5M (2018) | #358 of 3,974 | #105 in Asia | #2 in PK |
| Longest runway | 3,360 m / 11,024 ft | =640 of 29,858 | =197 in Asia | #8 in PK |
| Elevation | 217 m / 712 ft | =23,147 of 43,403 | #1,314 in Asia | #49 in PK |
| Age | Opened 1962 | =4,898 of 15,079 | =283 in Asia | #7 in PK |
| Runways | 2 | =715 of 29,978 | =31 in Asia | =1 in PK |

## Radio frequencies

| Type | Description | MHz |
| --- | --- | --- |
| APP | LAHORE APP | 121.300 |
| ATIS | ATIS | 126.300 |
| GND | LAHORE GND | 118.400 |
| TWR | LAHORE TWR | 118.100 |

## Nearby airports

- [ATQ](https://dromopedia.com/airports/viar.md) Sri Guru Ram Das Ji International Airport · 43 km / 27 mi
- [SKT](https://dromopedia.com/airports/opst.md) Sialkot International Airport · 113 km / 70 mi
- [LYP](https://dromopedia.com/airports/opfa.md) Faisalabad International Airport · 135 km / 84 mi
- [IXJ](https://dromopedia.com/airports/viju.md) Jammu Airport · 136 km / 85 mi
- [IXP](https://dromopedia.com/airports/vipk.md) Pathankot Airport · 141 km / 87 mi
- [BUP](https://dromopedia.com/airports/vibt.md) Bhatinda Air Force Station · 143 km / 89 mi

## Sources

- [NOAA Aviation Weather Center](https://aviationweather.gov/data/api/): Weather data: NOAA Aviation Weather Center (Public Domain (US Government))
- [OurAirports](https://ourairports.com/data/): Airport data from OurAirports (Public Domain)
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org): Structured data from Wikidata (CC0 1.0)
- [Wikipedia: “Allama Iqbal International Airport”](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Allama_Iqbal_International_Airport&oldid=1376514060), revision of 24 Sep 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- [timezone-boundary-builder](https://github.com/evansiroky/timezone-boundary-builder): Time zone boundaries © OpenStreetMap contributors, timezone-boundary-builder (ODbL 1.0)
- Every figure with its source: https://dromopedia.com/airports/opla/data