Most airport guides are written for the person holding the boarding pass. This Islamabad airport guide is for the other person: the cousin, friend, colleague or parent in Islamabad or Rawalpindi who has promised to "sort out the pickup". Your visitor will land tired, possibly for the first time, at an airport that is further out of town than they expect, with a phone that may not work the moment they switch off flight mode. The single most useful thing you can do is send one clear message a few days before they fly, and again the night before. That message should give the airport's full name and code, confirm they have the right visa or ID, say exactly who is meeting them and where, describe the car, and set out what happens if nobody is there. The rest of this page explains each piece and ends with a message you can copy, fill in and send.
The airport's name, code and where it really is
Start with the basics, because they cause more confusion than you would think.
- Name: the official name is Islamabad International Airport, operated by the Pakistan Airports Authority. If your visitor asks "what is the name of Islamabad airport", that is the answer to give them.
- Code: the Islamabad airport code is ISB (IATA). Pilots and flight-tracking sites sometimes show the ICAO code OPIS. ISB is the one printed on tickets and baggage tags.
- Location: it is not inside Islamabad. The terminal sits in Fateh Jang tehsil of Attock District, Punjab, roughly 25 km from both Zero Point in Islamabad and Saddar in Rawalpindi, according to the airport's Wikipedia entry. It is reached from the twin cities via the Srinagar Highway and the M-1 and M-2 motorways.
The old airport trap
Before May 2018, Islamabad's flights used Benazir Bhutto International Airport at Chaklala in Rawalpindi. The new airport replaced it in early May 2018. Relatives who last flew in a decade ago, and some older drivers, still say "the airport" and mean Chaklala. If your visitor's family in the UK or the Gulf keeps giving them old directions, your message should settle it: the flight lands at the new airport near Fateh Jang, not in Rawalpindi cantonment.
Before they book: visa, ID and the safety picture
A host is often the first person a visitor asks "do I need a visa?" Do not answer from memory. Point them to the official sources and let them check their own nationality.
Visa or NICOP
- Foreign nationals apply through the Pakistan Online Visa System run by NADRA at visa.nadra.gov.pk. The portal says it serves applicants from 175 countries and lists visa-on-arrival eligibility for some nationalities under tourist and business categories. It also states plainly that applicants should plan travel only once they have a valid visa. Avoid unofficial "visa agent" sites that copy the look of the portal.
- British citizens need a visa before travelling, according to the UK FCDO entry requirements for Pakistan. The FCDO also says the passport should have an expiry date at least six months after the date of the visa application.
- Overseas Pakistanis holding a NICOP or Smart NICOP can enter without a visa, the same FCDO page notes. Dual British-Pakistani nationals still need their British passport to get back into the UK.
One detail from the FCDO page is worth repeating in your message: make sure the passport is stamped on entry. The FCDO warns that leaving Pakistan can be difficult without an entry stamp. A tired visitor waved through a busy desk may not notice.
What the travel advisories say about Islamabad
Islamabad and Rawalpindi are not in the areas the UK FCDO advises against visiting, but the FCDO Pakistan travel advice does flag planned protests and marches in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and other cities. It warns that routes can change at short notice and that past protests brought road closures and temporary mobile and internet outages, which matters on an airport run. It also records that regional tensions in May 2025 closed airspace and led airlines to suspend flights, so checking with the airline before leaving home is sensible. The US State Department's Pakistan country page sits at Level 3, Reconsider Travel, while noting greater security resources and infrastructure in the major cities.
If your visitor plans to go on from Islamabad to Peshawar, other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu and Kashmir or Balochistan, tell them to read those advisories before booking anything. Both governments restrict or advise against travel to large parts of those regions, and some routes are affected. That is a conversation to have before they buy a ticket, not in the car park.
What happens between landing and the exit
Your visitor will be out of contact for part of this, so it helps to know the sequence and roughly where the delays sit. The airport's arrival procedures page sets it out in three stages.
- Immigration. Lanes are marked for Overseas Pakistanis, Foreigners, Taxpayers and Special Persons (older travellers, women and children). Passengers are told to remove hats and sunglasses, stay behind the red line, and not use their phones at the desk. NICOP holders do not need to fill in the disembarkation form.
- Baggage. Screens show which belt carries which flight. Missing bags are reported to the airline at the airport, and damage claims have a seven-day window. Tell your visitor to report a missing bag before walking out, even if you are waiting and they feel rushed.
- Customs. The green channel is for passengers with nothing to declare, the red channel for dutiable or restricted items; arms, narcotics and anti-Pakistan literature are banned outright. The customs rules page covers the duty-free personal allowances and which appliances attract duty.
Why the greeter should not rush inside
The airport's entrance gate guidance says vehicles arriving by taxi or private car go through Gate I, with Airport Security Force body, baggage and under-vehicle searches at entry points. Visitors are asked to carry a CNIC, a ticket or a passport, and the page limits greeters to one per passenger because of space. Anyone planning a family welcome party of eight should know that in advance; the rest of the family can wait by the car or at home.
Who is meeting them, where, and in which car
This is the heart of your message. A visitor who knows exactly who to look for walks out calmly. A visitor who has "someone will be there" scans a crowd of drivers holding signs and picks the wrong one.
Name the person, not just the plan
Give the greeter's first name, a photo if you can, and a phone number that is on WhatsApp. If the greeter is a driver you have arranged rather than a relative, send the driver's name and number once they are confirmed, and tell your visitor that nobody else is authorised to collect them. That one sentence stops a lot of trouble with unsolicited offers of a ride.
Name the spot
"Arrivals" is not a meeting point. Agree something the visitor can find with a flat phone battery: a named exit, a pillar, a counter, the currency exchange booth. The airport lists a Pakistan Currency Exchange booth in International Arrivals on Level 1, which some families use as a fixed landmark. Whatever you choose, describe it in words, not only as a map pin.
If you are not sure how the arrivals area and the pickup lanes work on the day, our Islamabad airport journey guide (planned link) walks through the drive and the pickup side in more detail.
Describe the car
Give the make, the colour and the number plate. A white saloon is not a description in Pakistan; there are hundreds of them in any car park. If the greeter will be waiting in the vehicle rather than at the exit, say so, and say where the car will be.
The car park and the clock
If you are driving yourself, the airport's parking page lists a general car park for around 2,200 vehicles and publishes its charges, which were revised from 1 July 2026. At the time of writing it shows a flat charge for the first three hours, an hourly rate after that, a 24-hour pass and a fine for vehicles lifted from no-parking areas, with small annual increases already scheduled. Rates change, so check the page rather than relying on a figure you heard. The practical point for a host is simple: waiting in the proper car park is cheaper than arguing with a tow crew over a car left in a drop lane.
Phone, WhatsApp and the offline fallback
Assume your visitor's phone will not work when they first walk out. Roaming may not be switched on, public Wi-Fi may want a code by text, and a long-haul battery is often in single figures by the time the bags arrive. Plan for that instead of hoping.
Before they leave home
- Ask them to save your number, the greeter's number and the meeting point as a screenshot, so it opens without data.
- Suggest they check with their own network whether roaming works in Pakistan and what it costs. Some visitors prefer to switch it on for the first hour only.
- Send the flight number back to them and ask them to confirm it. A surprising number of pickups go wrong because the host tracked the outbound leg or the wrong date.
The fallback rule
Agree one rule, in writing, for what happens if you cannot find each other. For example: "If you cannot see us within 20 minutes of coming out, go back to the currency exchange booth and wait there. We will come to you. Do not leave with anyone who has not given you our name." The exact wording is yours; the point is that the visitor stays put and the host does the searching.
If the flight is delayed or diverted, the airline is the best source. The airport site also runs a live arrivals board, which is worth bookmarking on the greeter's phone.
The Islamabad airport inquiry number question
People often search for an Islamabad airport inquiry number hoping for a phone line that will tell them whether a flight has landed. In practice, the airline is the better call. The airport's website publishes the email apm.iiap@paa.gov.pk and a disability assistance helpdesk number, 051-59050252, and routes complaints through an online e-complaint system. Numbers in old blog posts and on printed cards go out of date; check the official site before you rely on one. If your visitor needs wheelchair or mobility help, arrange it with the airline when they book and let the greeter know, so the meeting point allows for the assistance route.
Cash, SIM and what you have already paid
Visitors worry about money on arrival more than hosts realise. Tell them plainly what they will and will not need in the first hour.
Cash
The airport lists ATMs from Allied Bank and Habib Bank on Level 2 in the visitor gallery, a further Allied Bank ATM on Level 3 in international departures, and currency exchange counters including the booth in international arrivals, according to its banks and exchange page. That is enough for a small float, but foreign cards do not always work in every machine. A modest amount of rupees for snacks, tips and the first day is plenty. Your visitor does not need to arrive with a bag of cash for a journey you have already arranged.
SIM card
A local SIM is useful for a longer stay, but it is rarely the first job after landing. Registration rules for SIMs and for foreign handsets are set by Pakistani regulators and can change, so treat the first evening as a roaming or Wi-Fi evening and sort out a local number with the host's help the next day. If your family has a spare local phone with credit, lending it at the airport is the simplest fix of all.
What you have prepaid
Tell your visitor exactly what is covered. If you have arranged and paid for a driver, say so, and say whether parking, tolls or a waiting-time charge are included. If nothing has been paid and the visitor is expected to settle on the day, say that too, and how. Ambiguity here is what turns a pleasant pickup into an awkward conversation at the car door. Our guide to booking and paying for someone else's airport ride covers how to set this out when the person paying is not the person travelling.
Choosing who does the pickup
Many hosts assume they must drive to the airport themselves. Sometimes that is right. For late-night Gulf arrivals, a family with a lot of luggage, or a host who works in Rawalpindi and would lose half a day, it may not be. This table sets out the usual options.
| Option | Works well when | Watch out for | What to put in the message |
|---|---|---|---|
| Host or relative drives | Daytime arrival, light luggage, you know the airport roads | Parking time adds up on a delayed flight; the driver cannot leave the car to search the hall | Driver's name, car, plate, "we wait in the car park" or "we wait at the exit" |
| Relative meets inside, driver waits in car | Elderly or first-time visitor who needs a familiar face | One greeter per passenger at the gate; two phones to coordinate | Who is inside, who is in the car, and where they reunite |
| Arranged driver meets alone | Late-night arrival, host working, visitor travelling on to another city | Visitor must trust a stranger, so identification matters | Driver's name and number, a name board wording, the "leave only with this person" rule |
| Visitor makes own way | Experienced traveller, short stay, staying near a metro stop | No one to help with lost bags or a dead phone | Address in Urdu and English, the host's number, a landmark near the house |
The airport is linked to Islamabad and Rawalpindi by a metrobus service that began running in April 2022, which suits a confident solo traveller with light bags. It is not the answer for a grandmother with three suitcases arriving after midnight.
If you decide an arranged driver is the right call, it helps to settle it well before the flight. Our guide on what to arrange before you fly explains what information a journey request needs, and you can start planning an Islamabad airport journey (planned link) with the flight number, passenger count and luggage. A request is an enquiry, not a confirmed booking, until the team comes back to you with an option you accept. For a more formal or corporate arrangement, iDrive, the network behind Pakistan Taxi, also takes journey requests through its own booking page.
Visitors flying in from Dubai, Doha, Riyadh or Jeddah often land in the small hours. Our note on connecting a Gulf flight with the pickup plan covers the extra checks for overnight arrivals and connecting tickets.
A copy-and-paste message for your visitor
Send this three or four days before departure, then send a short "all still on" the night before. Replace everything in square brackets. The times and names below are placeholders, not recommendations.
Assalam o alaikum [name], here is everything for your arrival.
Airport: Islamabad International Airport (code ISB), near Fateh Jang. It is the new airport, not the old one in Rawalpindi.
Your flight: [airline and flight number], landing [date] at [local time]. Please check this matches your ticket and tell me if anything changes.
Documents: passport with at least six months' validity, and your [visa approval / NICOP]. Please make sure your passport is stamped at immigration.
Who is meeting you: [name], phone and WhatsApp [number]. Photo attached. Please do not go with anyone else, even if they say they know us.
Where: [agreed meeting point, e.g. by the currency exchange booth in international arrivals]. If you cannot see [name] within [20] minutes, go back there and wait. We will find you.
The car: [colour, make, plate number]. [Name] will be [at the exit / waiting in the car park].
Money: the journey is [paid / not paid]. [Parking and tolls are covered / please bring rupees for X]. A small amount of cash for snacks is enough. There are ATMs and exchange counters in the terminal.
Phone: your phone may not work at first. Save this message as a screenshot. Wi-Fi or roaming for the first evening is fine; we will sort a local SIM tomorrow.
If your flight is delayed: message me when you board and when you land. If you cannot message, just wait at the meeting point.
Safe travels, see you soon.
Questions hosts ask
What is the name of Islamabad airport on tickets?
It is Islamabad International Airport, with the code ISB. Some older relatives still call it by the name of the former airport at Chaklala, which closed to scheduled flights when the new airport opened in 2018.
How early should the greeter leave home?
That depends on where you live and the time of day. Work back from the scheduled landing time, add the drive to the airport near Fateh Jang, the security check at the gate and a margin for traffic, then remember the visitor still needs time to clear immigration and collect bags.
Can the whole family come inside to meet them?
The airport's entrance guidance limits greeters to one per passenger because of space. Plan for one person at the meeting point and the rest waiting by the car or at home.