In a promising development, Pakistan’s national flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), is set to resume its flights to the United Kingdom in October. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar revealed during a Senate session that the government has taken significant steps to enhance safety and regulation measures, aligning them with international aviation standards.
The upcoming legislation, pending approval, is expected to clear the way for the revival of PIA’s UK flights, which had been suspended following a ban in 2020. The ban resulted in a substantial revenue loss for the airline, amounting to a staggering Rs. 59 billion annually from its UK operations alone.
With PIA grounded in European countries, the airline is facing an overall yearly revenue loss of Rs. 71 billion. However, optimism surrounds the situation as Aviation Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique expressed hope that the carrier would soon resume flights to the UK, paving the way for future restoration of services to EU countries and the United States.
The planned resumption of flights signifies a crucial step towards the revival of PIA’s operations and revenue generation. As the airline works diligently to meet international aviation standards, passengers and industry stakeholders eagerly anticipate the safe and timely return of PIA’s flights to the UK skies and beyond.