Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has officially announced the resumption of its flights to the United Kingdom, under which two flights a week will be operated from Islamabad to Manchester in the first phase from October 25.

According to a PIA spokesperson, the flights will operate on Saturdays and Tuesdays. The flight will depart Islamabad at 12pm and arrive in Manchester at 5pm.

The return flight will leave Manchester at 7pm and reach Islamabad at 7am the following day.

The spokesperson stated that “the initial phase will begin with flights to Manchester, followed by services to London and Birmingham in the second phase”.

Booking for these flights has already opened, with highly competitive fares introduced for passengers.

“Now our compatriots will be able to reach their destination in just 8 hours instead of 15 hours. Our mission is to provide passengers with comfortable and modern travel facilities,” the spokesperson added.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif also announced on Saturday that PIA will resume two weekly flights to the UK starting October 25.

In a post on the social media platform X, he said, “Alhamdulillah, starting October 25, two weekly flights from Islamabad to Manchester will commence.”

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) issued PIA a Foreign Aircraft Operating Permit (FOP) on Friday, which was the final legal requirement for the resumption of British air operations.

Earlier last month, PIA had also obtained approval as a “Third Country Operator” (TCO), allowing it to operate direct passenger and cargo flights to the UK.

According to the Pakistani High Commission in London, “The resumption of PIA flights to the UK will facilitate over 1.7 million British-Pakistanis in travelling to and from their homeland.”

It is worth noting that the UK Civil Aviation Authority lifted the ban on Pakistani airlines in July 2024, a restriction that had been imposed since 2020 following a PIA plane crash in Karachi.

Before the ban, PIA operated 21 weekly flights to the UK, including 10 to London, 9 to Manchester, and 2 to Birmingham.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency also lifted its ban on PIA in November 2024, after which the airline resumed flights from Islamabad to Paris.

However, these flights were temporarily suspended in recent months as all resources were redirected to restore UK operations.

The Pakistan government is currently advancing the privatisation process of PIA under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme, aiming to reduce the financial burden of the loss-making national carrier on the national exchequer.

According to sources, PIA’s financial losses have exceeded $2.5 billion over the past decade.