Director General Civil Aviation, Nadir Shafi Dar, expressed hope that Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flights to the UK would resume soon, following the European Union’s recent clearance. In a statement, Dar confirmed that a UK Department for Transport delegation is scheduled to visit Pakistan next month, with an online meeting set for the third week of December. He noted that the official visit is planned for January, with hopes that flights to the UK could resume shortly after the visit, potentially as early as March. Dar also mentioned that the UK’s evaluation of Pakistan’s aviation standards would follow the same line as the European Union’s recent assessments, which yielded positive results for Pakistan. “We have achieved good results with the EU, and we expect the UK flights to start soon,” he added. According to a PIA spokesperson, the airline previously operated 21 weekly flights from Pakistan to the UK, including 10 flights to London, 9 to Manchester, and 2 to Birmingham.The resumption of flights to Europe and the UK is expected to significantly boost PIA’s revenues. Pakistan International Airlines will resume flights to Europe in January, starting with Paris, after the EU aviation regulator lifted a ban on the national flag carrier. PIA’s authorisation to operate in the EU was suspended in June 2020 over concerns about the ability of Pakistani authorities and its Civil Aviation Authority to ensure compliance with international aviation standards.
After Europe, PIA flights to UK expected to resume soon
