Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will resume flights to the United Kingdom on October 25, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif announced. The UK Civil Aviation Authority recently issued a Foreign Aircraft Operating Permit (FOP), clearing the final hurdle for PIA’s commercial flights to Britain.
Initially, the airline will run two weekly flights between Islamabad and Manchester. Later, PIA will expand its services to Birmingham and London. This comes after Britain lifted restrictions on Pakistani carriers in July, nearly five years after the 2020 Karachi crash that killed 97 people and triggered concerns over pilot licences.
The revival will benefit more than 1.7 million Pakistanis living in the UK, offering safer and more convenient travel. PIA has already obtained Third Country Operator (TCO) approval for UK operations. It has also redirected resources from recent European routes to support this relaunch.
However, the airline still faces major financial challenges. Over the past decade, it has accumulated losses of more than $2.5 billion. Despite repeated government bailouts, its financial position remains weak. The government now plans to privatise PIA under a $7 billion IMF-backed program to reduce losses in state-owned enterprises.
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