Pakistan International Airlines Mulls UK & US Flight Resumptions In 2025

News has surfaced that Pakistan International Airlines
(PIA) may soon restart flights to the UK and the United States. The Federal Aviation Administration and PIA signed an MoU to address financial concerns.

Aiming to be reclassified to category one

According to Pakistani News Agency, ARY, Pakistan may be reclassified to a category one status with the FAA
, it will allow direct flights between the country and the US to resume since the last service operated between the US and Pakistan in 2017. Before the operations ceased, PIA operated to the below US gateways:

  • New York – four weekly
  • Chicago – two weekly
PIA Pakistan International Boeing 777-300ER at London Heathrow Airport.

Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock

For PIA, ensuring it can demonstrate its financial obligations and meet international aviation standards and regulatory requirements will significantly benefit its revenue streams and growing network. The reclassification will benchmark the airline’s compliance and operational standards.

Related

4 Years Later: EASA Lifts Flight Ban On Pakistan International Airlines

PIA has demonstrated that it meets international safety requirements.

UK flights are also on the horizon

As reported by Business Insider, a secondary delegation from the United Kingdom Department for Transport (DfT) is also set to visit Pakistan in December, and a Pakistani delegation is poised to visit the UK in January. Following successful meetings, the Pakistani airline could resume operations in the UK as early as March.

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA)

Photo: Naufal MQ | Shutterstock

The airline has made successful headway with evaluations similar to those of the European Union, and this positive assessment should set the way for PIA to resume its flights to the UK. Previously, the airline operated up to 21 weekly services to the United Kingdom, including:

  • Ten weekly services to London (from Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore and Sialkot)
  • Nine weekly services to Manchester (from Islamabad and Lahore)
  • Two weekly services to Birmingham (from Islamabad)

Restoring any of these long-haul routes is critical for the country of Pakistan’s international connectivity and air infrastructure and would identify a turn in the carrier’s commitment to improving its safety and regulatory requirements. The UK Civil Aviation Authority shared this statement with Aviation Week:

“(The CAA) recognizes the importance of air services” between the UK and Pakistan, emphasizing the economic and cultural ties such connections support. While we therefore support the restoration of such connections as soon as practicable, the circumstances that led to the suspension of those services requires a rigorous safety case to be demonstrated first.”

Pakistan International Airlines Boeing 777-200LR

Photo: Minh K Tran | Shutterstock

In November, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) ended its four-year suspension for the Pakistani carrier, which limited its flights to Europe. The airline was banned from operating in the UK and EU in May 2020 as a result of the crash of PK8303, a domestic flight from Lahore to Karachi, which killed 97 civilians. Through an investigation, this identified flaws in the carrier’s safety records and the validity of pilot licenses within the airline.

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PIA Airbus A320 Crashes Into Residential Area

While there is no precise timeline for lifting PIA’s UK travel ban, both the CAA and PIA have expressed their optimism that the airline will soon be removed from the UK Air Safety List.

Currently, passengers from the UK have one direct option to go to Pakistan: British Airways’ twice-weekly Boeing 777 service between London Gatwick International Airport and Islamabad International Airport (ISB).

Pakistan International Airlines fleet

According to ch-Aviation, PIA’s fleet consists of aging Airbus, Boeing, and ATR aircraft, all with an average age of over 18 years in service. Its fleet is made up of:

  • Ten Airbus A320-200
  • Two ATR 42-500
  • Three Boeing 777-200ER
  • One Boeing 777-200LR
  • One Boeing 777-300ER
Pakistan International Airlines Airbus A320

Inactive aircraft include:

  • Seven Airbus A320-200
  • One ATR 42-500
  • Three Boeing 777-200ER
  • One Boeing 777-200LR
  • Three Boeing 777-300ER

Historically, the airline has operated the Airbus A300B4, A310-300, ATR 72-500, Boeing B737-300, B747-200B, B747-200BM, B747-300, and DHC-6-300

Related

History: Pakistan International Airlines’ Early Years

Pakistan International Airlines began life as Orient Airways in 1946.

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