PIA returns to UK Airport

Pakistan International Airlines (#PIA) resumed flights to the United Kingdom on Saturday, ending a five-year ban imposed after a scandal involving safety concerns and rumours about fraudulent pilot licences. The airline faced a ban from both the UK and the European Union in June 2020. This followed a deadly crash in Karachi that killed nearly 100 people, and subsequent revelations of pilots with fake licences. Following extensive safety audits, the European ban was lifted in November 2024, paving the way for PIA to restore its suspended routes from January this year. In October 2025, the first Boeing 777 flight from Islamabad to Manchester on Saturday marked PIA’s return following months of inspections and reforms that restored Britain’s confidence in Pakistan’s aviation system. “The flight to Manchester is a remarkable beginning, but we are firmly determined to start flights to London and Birmingham next,” Pakistan Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif told a ceremony held at Islamabad International Airport. #manchesterairport #islamabad #pakistaninternationalairlines