KARACHI: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will resume direct flights to Britain in October after securing international safety and security approvals, the national carrier said on Wednesday, marking its return to one of its most important markets five years after a ban was imposed.

Britain lifted restrictions on Pakistani carriers in July, nearly half a decade after grounding them in the wake of a 2020 PIA Airbus A320 crash in Karachi that killed 97 people. The disaster led to a government investigation that exposed irregularities in pilot licensing and triggered bans in both the UK and European Union.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency lifted its suspension in November 2024, allowing PIA to restart flights to Paris in January before expanding to Lahore–Paris in June. But the airline suspended those services in recent months to prioritize resources for the UK relaunch.

“Pakistan International Airlines has formally received approval as a Third Country Operator (TCO) to operate flights to the United Kingdom,” said Abdullah Khan, a spokesperson for the airline. “The national carrier will restart direct flight operations to the UK from next month.”

PIA will initially relaunch services to Manchester, with Birmingham and London to follow, Khan added.

Separately, Britain’s Department for Transport confirmed that PIA had been designated “ACC3” — an aviation security certification required for non-European airlines flying cargo to the UK — from Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi. 

The approval, valid until August 2030, clears the airline to carry freight to Britain.

“As of 23rd September 2025, these designations are active on the UK Supply Chain Security Database, in respect of flights to the UK,” David Shephard, head of air cargo security policy at the UK Department for Transport, wrote to PIA Chief Executive Officer AVM Mohammad Amir Hayyat on Tuesday.

With more than 1.6 million people of Pakistani origin in the UK and thousands of British nationals based in Pakistan, the resumption of services is seen as vital. At present, only British Airways offers limited direct connections, flying twice weekly to Islamabad.

Officials in Islamabad say PIA’s return will ease travel, strengthen trade ties and boost revenues. Britain is Pakistan’s third-largest trading partner, with bilateral commerce worth about £4.7 billion ($5.7 billion).

The Pakistan government, which has repeatedly bailed out the airline, is pressing ahead with its privatization as part of a broader plan to cut losses at state-owned firms under a $7 billion IMF bailout program. PIA has accumulated more than $2.5 billion in losses in roughly a decade, draining public finances.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar announced last month that three to four weekly flights from Pakistan to Manchester would begin in September, describing the airline’s revival as a “top priority.”

Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said in July that restoring routes to Europe and Britain would help maximize PIA’s value ahead of a planned sale of a majority stake.