Flights resume after six-year hiatus following UK approval and pilot license scandal
Pakistan International Airlines will resume direct flights to London after a gap of six years, operating four weekly services from Islamabad from March 29, the national carrier announced on Tuesday.
The flights, which are expected to depart from Terminal 4 at London Heathrow Airport, mark PIA’s return to its first and most popular international route following the suspension of direct operations in July 2020.
PIA already operates three weekly flights to Manchester, which resumed on October 25 after a five-year hiatus. The Manchester service initially began with two weekly flights before expanding to three, operating on Saturdays and Tuesdays, the national flag carrier announced on Saturday.
The airline’s return to UK operations follows formal approval by the UK Department for Transport in September, allowing PIA to operate as a third country operator for both passenger and cargo flights.
The department issued PIA a five-year ACC3 certification covering flight safety and cargo operations, renewing confidence in the airline’s safety protocols and operational standards.
The ban was initially enforced in July 2020 by UK and European aviation authorities after a major scandal revealed dozens of Pakistani pilots operating with fake licences.
Read: PIA to be led by Arif Habib-led consortium in April 2026
The then Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan admitted the problem after the tragic crash of a PIA Airbus A-320 in Karachi, which claimed nearly 100 lives.
The fallout from the scandal led to bans across the United Kingdom, the European Union and the United States, costing the loss-making airline an estimated 40 billion rupees ($144 million) a year in lost revenue. Despite the ban in place in the UK, PIA marked a small milestone in January 2025 by resuming direct flights to Europe with a flight from Islamabad to Paris.
The expansion of UK operations comes as PIA goes private. A consortium led by Arif Habib Corporation emerged as the highest bidder on December 24 in a live televised auction for a 75% stake in the airline, offering 135 billion rupees, surpassing the government’s reserve price of 100 billion rupees. The national airline is expected to have a new owner from April 2026
The successful bid marks a turnaround from last year’s failed sale attempt and a breakthrough for the government’s long-delayed privatization of the national airline.
