Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has made a major decision for passengers planning to travel from Pakistan to London.
The airline has decided to operate daily flights to London, with five flights departing from Islamabad and two from Lahore every week.
PIA will operate these seven weekly flights following the return of its London slots from Turkish Airlines.
After a six-year gap, PIA resumed flights to London on March 30, allowing passengers to travel directly between Pakistan and the UK once again.
Previously, PIA had been forced to give up landing rights at Heathrow Airport. In 2022, the airline allocated seven of its slots to two foreign carriers, handing six to Turkish Airlines and one to Kuwait Airways for a period of six months. This change came after the European Union imposed a ban on PIA flights, where the national carrier was asked to enter into agreements with foreign airlines to retain its Heathrow slots rather than risk losing them permanently.
PIA privatisation in 2025
Last year, the Pakistani government sold a 75 per cent majority stake in PIA.
The winning bid of 135 billion Pakistani rupees ($482 million) went to a private consortium led by the Arif Habib Group.
At the time, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Privatisation Muhammad Ali and Federal Minister for Information Attaullah Tarar highlighted the rationale and structure of the privatisation deal.
“The private sector will bring new aircraft, better service standards and operational efficiency,” Ali said.