Islamabad (TDI): British High Commissioner to Pakistan, Jane Marriott, posted a congratulatory message on social media app X, as Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will fly from Islamabad to Manchester on October 25, after a pause.
“Mubarak! PIA is set to make its first flight from Islamabad to Manchester on 25 October, the first Pakistani carrier to return to UK skies,” the High Commissioner wrote in her message.
Last month, PIA announced that it had obtained Third Country Operator (TCO) certification, clearing the way for the national carrier to resume flights to the United Kingdom.
Mubarak! PIA is set to make its first flight from Islamabad to Manchester on 25 October, the first Pakistani carrier to return to UK skies. pic.twitter.com/KRCbBlrsKj
— Jane Marriott (@JaneMarriottUK) October 6, 2025
The UK removed Pakistan from its Air Safety List in July, following an aviation security inspection at Islamabad International Airport.
The UK’s Department for Transport declared Pakistan’s security systems “satisfactory” and consistent with global standards, in recent reviews.
With the TCO certification in hand, the last hurdle was also cleared. The airline said its first flights would head to Manchester, with services to Birmingham and London expected to follow shortly.
PIA also confirmed that the UK’s Department for Transport had granted its Security and Cargo ACC3 certification for five years on the same day the TCO approval was issued.
Read More: PIA Secures TCO Approval, Set to Restart UK Flights Next Month
The carrier described these certificates as an expression of confidence by international aviation bodies in its operational and safety standards.
PIA flights had been barred from the UK, European Union, and United States in June 2020, a month after an Airbus A320 crashed in Karachi’s Model Colony, claiming nearly 100 lives.
The suspension was compounded by revelations that 262 pilots were flying with questionable licenses, a controversy exposed by then-aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan.
While the EU lifted its ban in November 2024, the UK’s green light now marks another milestone in PIA’s long road back to international skies.
Established in December 2008, The Diplomatic Insight is Pakistan’s premier diplomacy and foreign affairs magazine, available in both digital and print formats.
