Overview

• UK Civil Aviation Authority issued the Foreign Aircraft Operating Permit, completing the approvals needed for PIA’s commercial return.
• Passenger services will relaunch in phases with Manchester this month, followed by Birmingham and London.
• Pakistan’s High Commissioner in London said PIA had already secured Third Country Operator approval.
• The UK Department for Transport affirmed ACC3 cargo clearances for Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi, valid through August 2030.
• Direct services were halted in 2020 over the fake pilot licence scandal, with Pakistan removed from the UK Air Safety List in July 2025 and EU restrictions eased last year enabling a January Islamabad–Paris flight.