Web desk: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) announced that it will restart nonstop flights to Manchester, United Kingdom, beginning October 25.
The announcement was made through a post on its official X account.
The wait is finally over! Pakistan International Airlines proudly reconnects Manchester & Islamabad, bringing loved ones closer once again.
— PIA (@Official_PIA) October 4, 2025
Book now and be a part of this historic return.#PIA #MachestertoIslamanad #FlywithUs #Manchester #Islamabad #FlywithPIA… pic.twitter.com/Eldp82GSZx
The airline stated that the flight operations would bring “loved ones closer once again” as it reconnects Manchester and Islamabad.
This comes a day after the Pakistan High Commission in London confirmed that the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) had issued the Foreign Aircraft Operating Permit (FOP). The permit is the final approval required to allow commercial flights.
According to the High Commission, after flights to Manchester in the first phase, PIA will expand its operations to other UK cities, including Birmingham and London. The move has been described as a major relief for the Pakistani community in Britain, which numbers more than 1.7 million.
PIA had earlier secured the Third Country Operator (TCO) certification from the UK aviation authorities last month. This was seen as a key step toward restoring its passenger services after years of restrictions.
In a related development, the UK Department for Transport (DfT) issued a letter granting permanent approval for PIA to run cargo flights. These flights will operate from Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi to destinations in the UK.
The designations under the UK’s ACC3 aviation security framework are valid until August 2030.
The fake pilot licence scandal in July 2020 resulted in the suspension of PIA flights to Europe and the UK by the twin bans imposed by the British and European aviation authorities. The scandal had cast serious doubts on the aviation safety standards of Pakistan.
These concerns saw Pakistan appear in the UK Air Safety List in 2021. Regulators on both sides have since been collaborating to deal with the safety shortcomings.
The confirmation of the flights to Manchester is the take-off to those attempts and a significant step in the international activity of PIA.
