Islamabad (TDI): Pakistan has approved British airline Norse Atlantic Airways to start direct flights to the country, a step officials say will create more travel options for overseas Pakistanis, especially those in the UK, while encouraging better services and healthy competition in the aviation sector.
The announcement came late Thursday from Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, just days after Pakistan completed the long-awaited privatization of its national airline, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).
In a post on X, Asif confirmed that Norse Atlantic has been approved to operate direct flights from London, Manchester and Birmingham to Islamabad.
He said the entry of more international airlines would help create a competitive aviation market in Pakistan, leading to better services and more balanced airfares for passengers.
The decision carries particular significance for the UK, which is home to more than 1.6 million people of Pakistani origin.
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Air connectivity between the two countries has been gradually improving since Britain lifted a ban on Pakistani airlines in July last year, imposed nearly five years earlier following concerns over pilot licensing.
PIA resumed flights to the UK in October and currently operates three weekly services to Manchester. The airline is also preparing to launch direct flights to London in March. According to PIA, these flights will operate from Heathrow’s Terminal 4, one of the airport’s most modern terminals.
“London was PIA’s very first international destination and remains one of its most important routes,” a PIA spokesperson said, adding that the airline will operate four weekly flights from Islamabad to London starting March 29.
The approval of Norse Atlantic comes at a turning point for Pakistan’s aviation sector. On December 23, the government successfully privatized PIA, selling a 75 percent stake to a consortium led by the Arif Habib Group for Rs135 billion ($482 million). The deal valued the airline at Rs180 billion ($643 million).
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The privatization marks Pakistan’s most serious effort in decades to overhaul the loss-making carrier, which had accumulated more than $2.8 billion in losses.
The government has pledged that the move will end repeated state bailouts and help put the airline, and the broader aviation sector, on a more sustainable footing.
With new international players entering the market and PIA undergoing a major transition, Pakistan appears to be signaling a more open and competitive future for its skies.
Minahil Khurshid holds a master’s degree in Peace and Conflict Studies from CIPS, NUST. She has a strong interest in current affairs, geopolitics, and policy analysis.
