Karachi Airport Pickup: From Landing to Your Driver, Step by Step

Alpha Car Rentals meets flights at Jinnah International day and night, with a professional driver and a car chosen for your luggage as well as your passengers. A pickup goes smoothly when two things are settled before you fly: the driver knows your flight, and you know where he will be.

Before you fly: what to send, and what you get back

On WhatsApp to +92 311 2847167, send the flight number and airline, the landing date and time, and the number of passengers and large suitcases. Add your destination address with a landmark or location pin. Ask the office to confirm the car, pickup instructions, contact details and quote. If you need a car for the flight home, send that flight in the same message.

Step 1: Immigration, bags and customs

International flights arrive at the East Satellite concourse of the Jinnah Terminal, and domestic flights at the West. From abroad, you clear immigration, collect your bags from the belt shown on the screens and then pass customs. Use the Green Channel if you have nothing to declare and the Red Channel if you do. Trolleys are free and porters can be hired. Domestic passengers go straight to the belt. Message us when you land, and again if anything holds you up, so the driver knows when to expect you.

Step 2: Out of the terminal and into the car

Use the pickup location and contact details agreed for your booking. Once your bags are collected, call or message to coordinate the meeting. If the flight or the time you leave the terminal changes, let the office know.

Delays, early landings and changes of plan

If your flight is delayed, diverted or moved to another day, forward the airline's message as soon as it arrives and the pickup moves with it. If the aircraft lands early, a quick message from the gate lets the driver know. If your plans change altogether, cancelling is free up to 24 hours before the pickup time.

How far you are going: distances from the airport

Jinnah International is on the eastern side of Karachi, beside Gulistan-e-Jauhar and Malir. The eastern neighbourhoods are close, while the old city and the coast are further off. Most trips into the centre and the south follow Shahrah-e-Faisal. Allow extra time between about 7 and 9 in the morning and 4 and 7 in the evening, when the main roads are busiest.

Matching the car to the luggage

At an airport the bags decide the car as often as the seats do. One traveller with a cabin bag fits any car in the fleet, and two people with a large suitcase each fit a Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic. A family with luggage for a long stay suits a Toyota Prado, a seven-seat Changan Karvaan or a Toyota Grand Cabin, with its passenger layout confirmed. A group or wedding party fits a Toyota Coaster 4C with its current 22-seat listing. Pilgrims back from Umrah can each bring a sealed five-litre Zamzam bottle, so count those as bags.

Road distances from the Jinnah International arrivals road (the drive back to the airport can differ by a few kilometres)

Going to	Distance by road	Main roads
Gulshan-e-Iqbal, NIPA Chowrangi	about 12 km	Star Gate, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, University Road
Korangi Industrial Area	about 13 km	Shahrah-e-Faisal, Shah Faisal Colony flyover, Korangi Road
Tariq Road, PECHS	about 15 km	Shahrah-e-Faisal, Shahrah-e-Quaideen
Saddar, Empress Market	about 18 km	Shahrah-e-Faisal
North Nazimabad, Hyderi	about 19 km	Shahrah-e-Faisal, Rashid Minhas Road
Clifton, Teen Talwar	about 20 km	Shahrah-e-Faisal, Abdullah Haroon Road, Clifton Bridge
Bahria Town Karachi, main entrance	about 30 km	Jinnah Avenue, then the M-9
Hyderabad, Sindh	about 150 km	Jinnah Avenue, then the M-9

Popular cars from the fleet