ISLAMABAD – Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) announced Wednesday it will increase weekly flights to London from four to seven starting October 27. Under the new schedule, five flights will operate from Islamabad while two will operate on the Lahore-London route. The airline said the expansion reflects rising passenger confidence and demand.
Highlights
- PIA to increase weekly flights to London from 4 to 7 starting October 27
- Five flights from Islamabad, two from Lahore on new schedule
- PIA Resumes UK Flights, Expansion After Nearly Five-Year Hiatus
- EU Lifted Ban on PIA in November 2024, UK Followed Suit in July 2025
This expansion signifies a major recovery for PIA’s UK operations, which had been missing from British and European skies for years. In June 2020, Pakistani flights were banned from the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States after a PIA aircraft crashed in Karachi, killing nearly 100 people on board.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency barred PIA from EU airspace over safety concerns at the time. The ban followed comments by then-aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan that the airline’s pilots’ licenses were “dubious”, which further heightened international concerns about Pakistan’s aviation safety.
PIA will increase flights between Pakistan and London from four to seven weekly, with five flights from Islamabad and two from Lahore, offering passengers greater travel options.#PIA #Pakistan #LondonFlights #Aviation #PakistanTV pic.twitter.com/D4wdbAVOjm
— Pakistan TV (@PakTVGlobal) September 2, 2026
Gradual Steps to Full Restoration
It wasn’t an overnight turnaround. November 28, 2024. The European agency lifted its ban on PIA after more than four years. In July 2025, the UK followed this up by removing Pakistan from its Air Safety List and allowing Pakistani airlines to once again apply for operating rights in Britain.
PIA was officially cleared to resume direct UK flights in September 2025 after a nearly five-year hiatus. When operations resumed, the airline’s first UK destination was Manchester. In March, PIA also restarted direct flights to London, further extending its presence in the UK.
What This Expansion Means
“This is a major increase from four weekly flights to seven and nearly doubles capacity on one of PIA’s most important international routes. For an airline rebuilding its international network and reputation after years of limited access to major Western markets, such a rise indicates real confidence that demand can support the extra capacity. It also suggests that PIA’s return to the UK skies is more than a symbolic first step and that the airline is entering a more sustained phase of route growth.
