Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) announced on Wednesday that it would start direct flights to the UK in October, five years after banning Pakistani carriers.
The decision follows the protection and security approval of international regulators. Britain lifted the ban on Pakistani airlines in July, almost half a decade after the suspension services in Karachi’s 2020 PIA crash, killing 97 people.
The tragedy exposed irregularities in the pilot licensing, imposing a promotion ban in both the UK and the European Union.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has removed its suspension at the end of 2024, which will allow the PIA to resume limited flights to Paris earlier this year. These operations were stopped because the airline focused on re -launching the UK route.
PIA spokesman Abdullah Khan confirmed that the airline has obtained the approval of the third country operator, which has cleared it to operate flights to Manchester, which is Birmingham and London to follow.
The UK Department of Transport nominated PIA separately with ACC3 certification, which allows cargo flights from Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi by 2030. The return of PIA flights is expected to travel to the UK’s 1.6 million Pakistani Arigan residents and will strengthen the trade between the two countries, worth about $ 4.7 billion.