KARACHI: Had there not been all those videos on social media of international passengers at the Jinnah International Airport complaining about complete mismanagement and utter chaos in the departure area, one would not have believed the calm and orderly scene that lay before one at international departures there on Wednesday.

It was only days ago that the airport was said to have turned into “a place of embarrassment for international travellers and daily humiliation for Pakistani citizens thanks to basic operational incompetence” where one officer was expected to manage three parallel lines at immigration.

The passengers were constantly pointing out the problems to the airport staff, but there neither seemed to be the willingness nor the capacity to fix things.

The bags which had already been passed through a scanner once were being scanned again before being sent to baggage, which was a complete waste of time and effort.

PAA spokesperson admits immigration process remains ‘most frequently raised concern among passengers’

But was that an alternate universe where passengers also claimed that airport staff had demanded money from them in exchange for use of luggage carts? And what of those unending queues facing closed doors outside at international departures? Well, they aren’t there anymore.

Seeing three travellers squatting near a pillar on Wednesday, one asked them if they had been waiting there for long. “Yes, we reached here about half an hour ago,” replied one of them as he eyed the electronic board to see if check-in for their flight had been announced. Another passenger en route to Jeddah said that he arrived four hours before his flight “because I always do that”.

There was also no apparent shortage of luggage carts or trolleys at the passenger drop-off area, contrary to what had been reported earlier. Airport staff were seen bringing more freed up trolleys from the departure lounge which they had neatly lined up.

A group wearing identical brown cross body bags gathered to say goodbye to family members who had come to see them off. All looked relaxed and happy as they loaded their bags on the trolleys, posed for pictures and enjoyed the sweetmeats being distributed among them by a family member.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) said while occasional peak-hour pressures can occur in a high-volume gateway like Jinnah International, “the immigration process managed by the FIA remains the most frequently raised concern among passengers. Reports of any difficulties with trolley availability, on the other hand, have been very limited and appear to reflect an isolated occurrence rather than a recurring issue.

Published in Dawn, February 12th, 2026