KARACHI: The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will resume two weekly flights to the United Kingdom (UK) from Oct. 25, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said on Saturday.
The statement came hours after the UK Civil Aviation Authority issued a Foreign Aircraft Operating Permit to PIA and cleared the final administrative hurdle for the carrier to resume flights to Britain, according to the Pakistani high commission in London.
Britain lifted restrictions on Pakistani carriers in July, nearly half a decade after grounding them following a 2020 PIA Airbus A320 crash in Karachi that killed 97 people. The disaster was followed by claims of irregularities in pilot licensing, which led to bans in the US, UK and the European Union.
“We have finally planned for the first flight to UK (Islamabad to Manchester & back) on 25 Oct 25, God willing with a weekly frequency of 02 flights,” Defense Minister Asif wrote on X.
The airline has already received the Third Country Operator (TCO) approval for flight operations in the UK, according to the Pakistani high commission.
