After a hiatus of more than five years, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has resumed flights to the United Kingdom. The newly reinstated nonstop service between Islamabad (ISB) and Manchester (MAN) officially took off on October 25th.

PIA’s long-awaited return to British skies was met with lots of fanfare. A special pre-departure ceremony was held at Islamabad Airport, complete with special Manchester-themed decorations, cake, giveaways, and speeches from Pakistani and British officials.

The United Kingdom has always been a lucrative market for PIA. With the British-Pakistani population exceeding 1.6 million as of 2021, demand for nonstop links between the two nations has remained high. Pre-pandemic, Pakistan International Airlines flew 21 weekly flights into British cities: ten to London Heathrow (LHR), nine to Manchester (MAN), and two to Birmingham (BHX).

However, following the tragic crash of PIA Flight 8303 in 2020, various concerns arose with the methods by which Pakistani pilots acquired their licenses. Such suspicions prompted multiple countries to ban all Pakistani airlines over safety concerns. Many nations soon removed their bans on Pakistani carriers within the following year, expressing satisfaction with the safety standards practiced by Pakistani airlines. 

However, the United States, United Kingdom, and members of the European Union continued to uphold their bans, noting that further audits were needed prior to any further action.

In November 2024, the European Union removed its ban on Pakistani carriers, and PIA resumed service between Islamabad and Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) in January 2025. The United Kingdom removed its ban on July 16th, 2025, leaving the United States as the only entity continuing its restriction on Pakistani airlines.

PIA has consistently been battling aircraft shortages on its long-haul routes. Of its 12 Boeing 777s, six have been grounded indefinitely as the carrier’s dire financial position leaves it struggling to acquire new parts to overhaul these aircraft. With half of its long-haul fleet offline, resuming new routes to the European Union has proven to be a challenge. This is exacerbated by the fact that PIA has to juggle its active 777s on routes to Toronto (YYZ), Jeddah (JED), Madinah (MED), Riyadh (RUH), and Dammam (DMM). The carrier has responded to this shortage by operating a limited schedule to Paris and Manchester, with both routes running twice weekly on 777-200ERs.

[ISB,YYZ],[ISB,JED],[ISB,MED],[ISB,RUH],[ISB,DMM]

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The aircraft operating PIA’s first flight back to British skies after five years was AP-BGK, a 21-year-old 777-200ER. Apart from the pre-departure festivities in Islamabad, PIA applied two special “I ♥️ Manchester” stickers on both sides of AP-BGK’s nose. This 777 also flew PIA's first flight to Paris following service resumption and previously sported “I ♥️ Paris” decals to celebrate. 

The “re-inaugural” service to Manchester on October 25th was 85% full, with 273 of 319 seats occupied. Flight 701 departed Islamabad just after 12:45 pm local time and landed in Manchester just before 5:00 pm in golden hour sunlight. The flight’s arrival in Manchester drew a large crowd, many from the local British Pakistani community who came with their families to witness this long-awaited moment.

While the PIA of today is no longer associated with prestige and grandeur as it once was, many of those wishing to travel between Europe and Pakistan have strongly preferred the carrier for its nonstop links. In addition to its sizable UK network, PIA also served Copenhagen (CPH), Oslo (OSL), Barcelona (BCN), and Milan (MXP) until the ban went into effect. Apart from British Airways, who fly between London-Gatwick (LGW) and Islamabad, there were no other nonstop alternatives to fly between European and Pakistani cities. This forced most travelers to opt for the Gulf carriers and Turkish Airlines, with stopovers adding significant time to their journeys.

Therefore, PIA's return to Manchester is a large milestone that many have been looking forward to. The carrier hopes it will soon be able to increase frequencies to the city and eventually resume more routes. In fact, the carrier has already announced plans to resume flights to London-Heathrow (LHR) in the near future. While a twice-weekly frequency is rather sparse compared to what PIA once had, it is a big step in bolstering the vital UK-Pakistan market, connecting families, friends, and trade partners alike.