Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will resume flights to the United Kingdom after Eidul Fitr, said Pakistan High Commissioner to Dr. Muhammad Faisal.
Speaking at an Iphtar dinner in London, attended by journalists, influencers of social networks and distinguished guests, Dr. Faisal announced that PIA initially will restore flights from London and Manchester to Pakistan. He also expressed efforts to restart Birmingham services in the near future.
The high commissioner emphasized that the resumption of flights will be marked by a formal opening ceremony, with representatives of the media invited to cover the event.
He clarified that the restoration of flights is independent of any operational concern related to aircraft landings. The movement occurs when Pakistan aims to strengthen its aviation ties with the United Kingdom, after a prolonged suspension of direct flights.
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) restarted its European operations on January 10, 2025, with its first flight to Paris, after a four and a half year prohibition imposed by the European Union.
The EU had suspended PIA flight operations in June 2020 after a tragic plane crash in Karachi. The situation got worse when the Aviation Minister revealed in Parliament that several pilots had been hired with false licenses, which raised serious security concerns.
After extensive regulatory improvements and security compliance measures, the EU lifted the ban, allowing PIA to resume its services to European destinations.
In addition, the Government has assured the International Monetary Fund to sell the international airlines of Pakistan for July, but the future of the Roosevelt hotel in New York has not yet been decided in the midst of the US decision. UU. To terminate the lease agreement of $ 228 million prematurely.
The Privatization Ministry also informed the IMF about the State of PIA privatization and gave a deadline of July 2025 to sell the entity that makes losses, the sources said.
The previous attempt of the government to privatize PIA had failed badly after its weak scrutiny process ended up selecting a real estate developer as the only bidder. The only bidder had offered an offer of RS10 billion, which was often lower than the minimum application price of RS85 billion.
The sources said that the IMF was informed that the government was in the process of measuring the feeling of the market before issuing interest expression by inviting investors at the end of this month.
