The Quiet Fall of Karachi’s Aviation Dominance — Much Like the City Itself.
In 2006–07, Karachi stood apart.
It handled nearly half of the combined passenger traffic of Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad. Lahore and Islamabad were both roughly half its size.
The hierarchy was clear — and unquestioned.
Two decades later, the picture has fundamentally changed.
By 2023–24:
Karachi: ~6.4 million passengers
Islamabad: ~6.2 million passengers
Lahore: ~5.1 million passengers
Karachi is no longer the dominant gateway. It is one of three — nearly matched by Islamabad and increasingly comparable to Lahore.
This mirrors Karachi’s broader trajectory.
Like industry, finance, corporate headquarters, and cultural life, aviation too reflects a slow erosion rather than a sudden collapse. Power, institutions, and high-frequency travelers gradually shifted elsewhere — and air traffic followed.
No single decision caused this.
No single year explains it.
The change unfolded quietly, incrementally, flight by flight.
Karachi remains Pakistan’s largest city and its principal port. But dominance — whether urban or aviation — depends on where decisions are made, incomes are earned, and mobility is frequent.
In the sky, as on the ground, Karachi’s story today is not of disappearance —
but of lost primacy.