ISLAMABAD: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will resume weekly flights to the United Kingdom (UK) today, Saturday, after a hiatus of five years, an airline spokesman confirmed.
The UK Civil Aviation Authority this month issued a Foreign Aircraft Operating Permit to PIA and cleared the final administrative hurdle for Pakistan’s national 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.
A PIA spokesperson said the airline will resume two weekly flights to Britain at 12p.m. Pakistan time on Saturday.
“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 Khawaja Asif said this month.
