ISLAMABAD: The United Kingdom’s Civil Aviation Authority on Friday issued a Foreign Aircraft Operating Permit to Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), the country’s high commission in London said, clearing the final administrative hurdle for the carrier to resume flights to Britain this month.

Britain lifted restrictions on Pakistani carriers in July, nearly half a decade after grounding them following a 2020 PIA Airbus A320 crash in Karachi that killed 97 people. The disaster was followed by claims of irregularities in pilot licensing, which led to bans in both the UK and the European Union.

A PIA spokesperson had earlier announced plans to restart direct flights to Britain in October after securing international safety and security approvals, signaling a return to one of its most important markets while awaiting the UK permit.

“The Wait Is Over,” the Pakistan High Commission in London exclaimed in a post on social media.

“High Commissioner @DrMFaisal is grateful to the Civil Aviation Authority, UK @UK_CAA for issuing the Foreign Aircraft Operating Permit (FOP) today, the final document enabling commercial flights between the UK and Pakistan,” it added.

PIA has already received Third-Country Operator (TCO) approval for flight operations in Britain and will initially relaunch flights to Manchester, with Birmingham and London to follow in later phases.

The airline’s return is expected to ease travel for the Pakistani diaspora, strengthen trade links and boost revenues.

Britain is Pakistan’s third-largest trading partner, with bilateral commerce worth about £4.7 billion ($5.7 billion) annually.

The Pakistan government, which has repeatedly bailed out the loss-making carrier, is pushing ahead with its privatization as part of a broader plan to reduce losses at state-owned firms under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan program.

PIA has accumulated more than $2.5 billion in losses over roughly a decade, draining public finances.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency lifted its suspension in November 2024, allowing the airline to resume flights to Paris in January and later expand to Lahore–Paris in June.

However, PIA suspended those services in recent months to prioritize resources for the UK relaunch.