Domestic Baggage Allowance in Pakistan: 5 Airlines Compared

On domestic flights in Pakistan, every airline we checked allows 7 kg of hand carry. Checked baggage depends on the fare you buy: 20 kg on AirSial, 20 kg or 30 kg on Airblue's Flexi and Xtra fares, 20 kg to 80 kg on SereneAir, and whatever your ticket says on PIA. Airblue's cheapest Value fare and Fly Jinnah's basic booking may carry no checked bag at all.

A common airport scene in Pakistan has nothing to do with delays. A family stands at the check-in counter, one suitcase too heavy, arguing over the extra fee while the car waits in Karachi airport parking. Most of that is avoidable if you know your fare's allowance before you pack.

We read the baggage pages of PIA, Airblue, AirSial, SereneAir and Fly Jinnah on 30 September 2026. Airblue's pages sit behind a bot check, so we opened them in an ordinary browser window. Every number below comes from the airline's own website on that day.

Hand carry is 7 kg on every Pakistani airline we checked

All five airlines set hand carry at 7 kg on domestic flights. Size limits differ slightly. PIA allows 38 by 22 by 55 cm. Airblue and AirSial both allow one bag of 45 inches in total, 22 by 15 by 8. Fly Jinnah adds a separate 3 kg personal item.

That 7 kg fills up faster than people think. A laptop and its charger alone take a large share of it. So pack the hand bag at home and weigh it on a luggage scale.

• PIA: 7 kg in Economy, one piece of 7 kg in Executive Economy. PIA's free allowance list also includes one laptop.
• Airblue: one carry-on bag per guest, 7 kg, 22 x 15 x 8 inches.
• AirSial: 7 kg, one piece, 45 inches. Its page adds that a laptop is "excluded from hand carry", so ask at check-in whether yours counts toward the 7 kg.
• SereneAir: 7 kg on its cheaper fares, and up to 12 kg on Serene Plus.
• Fly Jinnah: 7 kg plus a 3 kg personal item, and that total covers your laptop and any duty-free shopping. If the hand bag is over 7 kg, it must be checked in and excess fees apply.

Checked baggage depends on the fare you buy

Checked allowance is tied to the fare, not the airline. Airblue gives nothing on Value, 20 kg on Flexi and 30 kg on Xtra. SereneAir gives 20 kg, 40 kg or 80 kg across its three fares. AirSial lists 20 kg. PIA says to follow the allowance printed on your ticket.

PIA

PIA's baggage guide does not publish one domestic kilo figure. It says the allowance, including pieces and weight, is set by the fare rules and shown on the ticket. Each checked bag can be at most 158 cm, adding length, width and height. If you carry an extra piece within your weight allowance, PIA charges a 4 kg excess baggage ticket to accept it, except on USA and Canada flights. When you book a PIA ticket online, check the baggage line before you pay.

Airblue

Airblue's travel information page lists three fares. Value has 7 kg hand carry and no checked bag. Flexi has one checked bag of 20 kg. Xtra has one checked bag of 30 kg. Each checked bag can be up to 54 inches in total. The page does not split these by domestic and international routes.

AirSial

AirSial lists 20 kg in one piece, up to 54 inches in total, with a maximum luggage weight of 32 kg. It describes its allowance as working on weight or pieces, and tells passengers to check route rules for extra baggage.

SereneAir

SereneAir's domestic table shows three fares. The Free Baggage fare gives 20 kg in one piece. Economy Regular gives 40 kg in two pieces, with no piece above 32 kg. Serene Plus gives 80 kg in any number of pieces. Infants get 10 kg of checked baggage.

Fly Jinnah

Fly Jinnah sells checked baggage as an extra. You choose it while booking or later, from options such as 23 kg, 30 kg or 46 kg, within a set number of pieces. A 23 kg option means one piece. A 40 kg option means two pieces with a combined total of 40 kg.

Excess baggage costs less if you buy it before the airport

Buying extra weight in advance is cheaper on the airlines that publish it. Fly Jinnah says pre-booking saves up to 90 per cent compared with airport charges. PIA sells advance excess baggage in 5 kg blocks until 4 hours before departure. SereneAir lists a domestic excess rate of PKR 150 per kg.

1. Check your fare's allowance on the ticket or in "Manage Booking".
2. Weigh your bags at home, including the hand bag.
3. If you are over, buy extra weight online before the flight.
4. On PIA, buy it at least 4 hours before departure, in 5 kg steps.
5. Keep the receipt or updated e-ticket to show at check-in.

PIA does not print its advance prices on the page. It says charges show during booking and change by route and fare. Airblue and AirSial did not publish a per kg domestic rate on the pages we read. SereneAir's page carries some old notices, including a discount that ended in 2022, so confirm its PKR 150 rate when you book.

PIA also charges for odd sizes. A box or suitcase between 162 cm and 225 cm in total is accepted against a 4 kg excess baggage ticket, plus handling charges. Cartons can be at most 140 cm and 32 kg.

Power banks, Zam Zam and other items with their own rules

Power banks and spare lithium batteries go in hand carry only, never in the checked bag. PIA limits spare lithium-ion batteries to 100 Wh each in the cabin. SereneAir says spare lithium batteries must not be packed in checked baggage. Some items travel free on PIA.

The power bank rules on flights from Pakistan come down to one number, 100 Wh. That is roughly a 27,000 mAh power bank. Under that size, it goes in your hand bag.

• PIA free items: one laptop, 5 litres of Zam Zam, a baby pushchair, a wheelchair and sports kits, subject to the operator's rule.
• Battery wheelchairs on PIA: tell the airline at least 48 hours before departure, with the battery type and watt-hour rating.
• Golf kit on PIA: free within your allowance. Above it, a special 6 kg charge covers up to 15 kg.
• Infants: Fly Jinnah allows one extra hand bag of up to 3 kg for the baby's things. SereneAir gives 10 kg checked.

If you are flying in from abroad with a new phone or laptop, the customs allowance for laptops and phones matters more than the airline's weight limit.

Report lost or damaged bags before you leave the airport

Report a missing or damaged bag at the arrival airport, before you leave the baggage hall. SereneAir says to raise a lost or mishandled baggage report with its staff there, and to file a claim within 14 days. Airblue caps its domestic liability at PKR 500 per kg.

Keep your baggage tag stub. SereneAir says it is essential for any claim, and every airline uses it to trace a bag. PIA advises passengers not to put cash, jewellery or important documents in checked baggage at all.

That PKR 500 per kg cap is low. A 20 kg bag would be worth at most PKR 10,000 under Airblue's rule, whatever was inside. Carry anything valuable in your hand bag.

Common questions

How many kg are allowed on domestic flights in Pakistan?

Hand carry is 7 kg on all five airlines we checked. Checked baggage depends on the fare: often 20 kg, up to 30 kg on Airblue Xtra and up to 80 kg on SereneAir's Serene Plus.

Does Airblue's Value fare include checked baggage?

No. Airblue's page says Value includes 7 kg hand carry only. Flexi adds one 20 kg bag and Xtra one 30 kg bag.

What is PIA's domestic baggage allowance?

PIA says the allowance depends on your fare and is printed on your ticket. Hand carry is 7 kg, and each checked bag can be up to 158 cm in total size.

Can I carry a power bank in checked baggage?

No. Spare lithium batteries, including power banks, must go in hand carry. PIA's limit is 100 Wh each.

Is a laptop counted in the 7 kg hand carry?

It varies. PIA lists a laptop as a free item, and AirSial says a laptop is excluded from hand carry. Fly Jinnah counts it within its 7 kg plus 3 kg limit.

How can I avoid excess baggage charges?

Weigh your bags at home and buy extra weight online before the flight. Fly Jinnah says this saves up to 90 per cent, and PIA sells it until 4 hours before departure.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked on 30 September 2026. PIA's hand carry sizes, 158 cm checked limit, ticket-based allowance, extra piece rule, free items, oversize and carton rules, battery limits and 48-hour mobility aid notice are read in PIA's Baggage Guide, and its 5 kg advance excess rule in PIA's Advance Purchase Excess Baggage page, both on piac.com.pk. Airblue's Value, Flexi and Xtra allowances, bag sizes and PKR 500 per kg domestic liability are read on its Extra Baggage and Travel Information pages, opened in a browser because they block automated readers. AirSial's allowance is read on its baggage page. SereneAir's fare table, PKR 150 per kg domestic excess rate, battery rule and claim process are read on its baggage policy page. Fly Jinnah's hand carry, personal item, baggage options and 90 per cent saving are read on its Add Baggage page. We did not fly or weigh bags for this check.