By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will restart flights to the United Kingdom on October 25, launching nonstop service from Manchester to Islamabad, the carrier said Saturday, marking its return to British airspace after a five-year hiatus.
The announcement follows confirmation from the Pakistan High Commission in London on Friday that PIA had secured a Foreign Aircraft Operating Permit from the UK Civil Aviation Authority and Third Country Operator approval.
“PIA will commence its flight operation to Manchester, UK from 25 October. PIA will operate twice a week flights every Saturday and Tuesday with convenient timings to Manchester,” the airline said in a statement. “In the first phase, PIA will operate flights to Manchester and gradually increase the flight frequencies followed by direct flights to London from Pakistan.”
“Now passengers can avail the facility of PIA direct flights to UK and reach their destination in eight hours rather than taking stopover flights of other airlines.”
The carrier plans to restart operations in phases, beginning with flights to Manchester, followed by Birmingham and London.
The breakthrough stems from the UK’s decision in July to remove Pakistan from its Air Safety List, allowing Pakistani carriers to apply for UK operations. That move came after a UK Department for Transport inspection at Islamabad International Airport deemed Pakistan’s aviation security “satisfactory and in line with international standards.”
PIA’s return reverses a ban imposed in June 2020 by the UK, European Union, and US, triggered by a fatal crash in Karachi. A PIA Airbus A-320 went down in the city’s Model Colony, killing nearly 100 people. The incident led to the grounding of 262 pilots with licences then-aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan called “dubious.”
The EU lifted its restrictions on PIA in November 2024, setting the stage for the airline’s reentry into key markets. The Manchester-Islamabad route targets Pakistan’s significant UK diaspora, a vital revenue source for PIA, while supporting tourism and trade. The carrier, long plagued by financial and operational woes, faces pressure to maintain compliance with global safety standards to sustain its international revival. Prior to the 2020 suspension, PIA operated 21 weekly flights to the UK, including 10 to London, nine to Manchester, and two to Birmingham.
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