Most of the flights to these areas depart in the early hours of the morning from Islamabad. Although I am not one for early morning departures but for this particular trip, I could fly at any odd hour. Since all these flights (two for Gilgit, one each for Skardu and Chitral) are weather dependent, so you can never be sure till the very last minute whether it will depart or be cancelled.

Once airborne, in almost 45 minutes flying time from Islamabad, the plane flies over the beautiful lofty hills of Kaghan, Naran, Babu Sar Top, and Nanga Parbat on the right. Soon the plane approaches the Gilgit airport set in the backdrop of lush green lawns with pines, almond and apple trees. The building is made up of carved stones and wood and has a small terminal with a VIP lounge and other offices. Unlike many other airports, this one also has an interesting history.

In 1939, some land was marked opposite the Gilgit river in Konodas known as Bedrodeas, using funds from the Royal Air Force and the Royal Army to fulfil military requirements of the British. In those days, light aircraft like Howard, Mosquito, Tempest and Tiger Moth would land here from Peshawar. This piece of land was used for aviation purposes until the construction of the Sonikot landing ground, which later came to be known as Gilgit Airport.

Due to tough terrain as well as the absence of a road link in the area, an air link was necessary to cater to the logistic and socio-political needs of the area. Hence as the World War 1 ended, the British decided that an air link should be developed to meet their military and strategic requirements.

When Pakistan came into being, a new landing ground was built at Bakshi Bagh, Sonikot, which in Shina means 'the living place of queen.' It was merely a huge playground having an area of 300 kanals. The locals of the area took part in the construction voluntarily which was completed in 1949. Towards the end of the same year, the first successful landing of a DC-3 aircraft was made by Air Vice-Marshall Archer.

In October 1946, Orient Airways shifted its head office from Kolkata to Karachi and started operations with the help of the BOAC aircraft and continued to serve Gilgit until March 11, 1955. Soon after, it was merged with the government-proposed airline and as a result the PIAC emerged. In 1956, the PIAC ordered two Lockheed constellations and five Viscounts to meet its initial fleet requirements.

In 1962, the PIAC ordered B720, Fokker F-27 and Sikorsky S-61 helicopters and later a road link was established when Pakistan and Chinese engineers together constructed the Karakoram Highway (KKH) from 1966 to 1978.

Today the small Gilgit Airport provides all basic facilities to passengers and the residents of Gilgit, Hunza and adjacent areas. Another terminal building with modern safety and security systems will soon be completed with a separate car parking. The project worth Rs18 crore is underway and is expected to complete within a year.

Despite people complaining about the constant flight cancellations, aviation experts are of the view that due to bad weather and technical reasons, only small aircraft can be operated on this tricky route.

Due to construction of the Bhasha dam, an airstrip at Chillas which is about one and half hours drive from Gilgit on the KKH, where a small or medium aircraft could land in emergency is being abandoned while according to experts there is no other site close to Gilgit where flights could land in different weather conditions.

Thousands of tons of cargo transported between Gilgit and China by road takes several hours to reach the destination. Due to the long and difficult road journey fruit and potatoes worth billions of rupees are destroyed and cannot be dispatched to various markets of the country.

The business community of the area believes that as the aviation industry has become advanced globally, the government should invest in modern facilities so that the issue of flight cancellations can be overcome.

Gilgit has become a business hub between Pakistan and China and can be used as a gateway to both the countries. Flights at least twice a week between Gilgit and the Xingjian province of China along with an air cargo facility would not only promote Pakistan-China trade but would also provide access to new markets.