Popular Airport | Chennai Intl. Airport |
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Popular Airlines | |
Approximate Flight Duration | 2 hour 20 min |
Approximate Travel Distance | 1910 Km |
You can reach Quaid–E–Azam International Airport from Karachi city center by using a bus or minibus. However, using a means of public transportation can make you lose time even though it is the most affordable transportation alternative. If you decide to use a faster transportation vehicle, you can get on a taxi. Renting a car is another option.
There are many car rental companies offering service in the city center. Most of them are local companies. In Pakistan, traffic is generally heavy and complicated. For this reason, tourists are advised to rent a car with a driver by contacting a reliable company. You can get help from your hotel about this issue before your travel. You should drive on the highway N5 and take the Jinnah Terminal Road in order to reach the airport. You can get to Quaid–E–Azam International Airport in about half an hour under normal traffic conditions by following the airport directions.
It is possible to reach the airport in approximately one hour by getting on an airport bus in the city center. One-way ticket price of these buses is 50 Pakistani Rupee per passenger. There are also minibuses carrying passengers to the airport from the city center. These vehicles are cheaper but tourists may be charged higher amounts. In addition, minibuses are very crowded. For these reasons, buses are more preferred by foreign visitors.
Travelling to the airport from the city center lasts about half an hour. You should bargain over the fare before getting on any taxi. The cost of travelling to the airport from the city center is about 300 – 500 Pakistani Rupee.
Quaid–E–Azam International Airport, which is known as Jinnah International Airport shortly, is located 14 km east of the city center. There are foreign exchange office, ATMs and baggage rooms at the airport. In addition, there are restaurants and cafes where you can try local tastes as well as the delicacies from the world cuisine. You can do shopping at the stores where you can find various products specific to Pakistan like carpet and rugs. There is also a duty-free shop at the airport. There is a mosque near the airport parking area. Although there is not any hotel within the building, you can stay at Ramada Plaza Hotel located 1 km of the airport.
The distance between the airport and the crowded Indian city Chennai is approximately 21 kilometers. After landing at the airport, you can find many transportation alternatives for travelling to the city center. You can benefit from many options for travelling to the city center such as taxi, train or bus. You can also rent a car for a more comfortable transportation during your stay in the city.
The railway system of the city is one of the most preferred transportation options. Although there is not a station in front of the terminal of Chennai Airport, you can reach the Tirusulam Railway Station, which is located 2 kilometers away, by walking or using a rickshaw. The cost of the auto rickshaws parking outside the domestic terminal of the airport is 30 Indian Rupee for 2 kilometers but this amount increases at night hours.
If you don’t have any luggage and think that you can find a place for yourself in the crowd, you can prefer this travel which will last 30 minutes. The wagons are clean and air-conditioned. The trains operate from the early hours of the morning until the midnight and you don’t wait too much at Tirusulam station. The ticket price is around 40 Indian Rupee and you can buy your ticket at the station.
When you go out of the Chennai Airport terminal, you will see the air-conditioned buses of the route 1B which will take you to the city center. The cost of travelling to the city center with these buses departing every 5 minutes is 45 Indian Rupee.
You can get information about the timetables of the bus route 18A, which goes directly to Chennai city center, by visiting the airport information desk. Travelling to the city center by using these buses which depart every hour takes about 40 minutes and it has the same price with the bus route 1B.
Another alternative is getting on one of the buses passing through the highway in front of the airport. You can signal for these buses which do not stop everywhere. You need to get information about the prices from the driver.
The most practical and fastest way to get to the city center from Chennai Airport is using a taxi. You can travel to the city center by paying a fare between 200 and 300 Indian Rupee without being subject to a price tariff other than the standard when you get one of the prepaid taxis at the airport. You can make a reservation in advance for using these taxis and pay the fare to the counters found at the arriving passenger gate. You can also get on a taxi outside the terminal and this alternative can cost minimum 350-500 Indian Rupee. The majority of the taxis offering service in Chennai and its surrounding consists of the taxis belonging to the taxi stands like City Taxi (+91 82972 82979), Meru Cabs (+91 44 4422 4422), Aviation Express Taxis (+91 44 2256 2193) and Fast Track (+91 44 2888 9999).
The estimated fares of the taxis that you can use for travelling from Chennai Airport to the city center vary from INR 350 to 500. Note that there can be a slight difference between the domestic and international terminals in terms of the fares. The travel lasts about 30-40 minutes.
You can see the offices of many international car rental companies like Avis, Europcar and Hertz at the arriving passenger section of Chennai International Airport. In addition to these companies, there are also local car rental companies offering service at the airport such as Mary Matha Cabs (+91 98844 69469) Zoomcars (+91 08 4339 37107 / +91 08 4339 37108), Aviation Express (+91 44 2435 4073). However, if you want to benefit from the discounts and have a more budget-friendly travel, you can make an online reservation before your flight.
Since India is a hot country, we advise you to rent an air-conditioned car even if it is a little more expensive. While renting a car, you don’t need to get insurance and pay an additional amount for this.
You can find another passenger going to the city center from the airport and use Uber or taxi together in order to pay less for this travel. Ride-sharing is among the best methods for travelling to the city center as well as being an economic and fast way.