ISLAMABAD: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) said on Thursday it will resume direct flights from Lahore to London from March 30, restarting a key international route after a six-year break as the national carrier rebuilds its network following the lifting of restrictions on Pakistani airlines.

The resumption comes after Britain lifted curbs on Pakistani carriers in July, nearly half a decade after flights were grounded following a 2020 PIA Airbus A320 crash in Karachi that killed 97 people. The disaster was followed by claims of irregularities in pilot licensing, prompting bans by aviation authorities in the UK, European Union and United States.

“The first flight, PK-757, will depart from Lahore to London on March 30,” PIA said in a statement. “Flights from Lahore to London will land at Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 4. Services are being resumed after a gap of six years.”

PIA said London was among the airline’s earliest international destinations and that the restart of Lahore-London operations would raise the carrier’s total weekly flights to the UK to seven, compared with 10 weekly flights before the suspension. The airline said the frequency of London-bound flights would be increased gradually.

PIA has already announced the launch of three weekly flights from Islamabad to London starting March 29, the statement said.

The restart of UK operations comes as Pakistan privatized PIA. Last month, a consortium led by the Arif Habib Group won the bid for a 75% controlling stake in the airline, offering 135 billion rupees ($482 million) in a deal the government described as a milestone in its broader privatization drive.