ISLAMABAD – Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) announced that it has received Third Country Operator (TCO) approval to restart flight operations to the United Kingdom. The national carrier plans to resume flights to the UK next month.
The development comes after the UK Department for Transport recently removed Pakistan from its Air Safety List. This decision followed a detailed aviation security inspection at Islamabad International Airport, where the UK authorities declared Pakistan’s security arrangements “satisfactory and in line with international standards.”
With the TCO certification, PIA is now allowed to operate direct flights, carrying both passengers and cargo.
“In the first phase, flights to Manchester will be resumed, followed by services to Birmingham and London,” the airline said in a statement, adding that it received formal approval a day earlier.
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The same day, the British Department for Transport also issued PIA Security and Cargo ACC3 certificates valid for five years. PIA stated that these international certifications reflect “complete confidence in the airline’s safety and operations.”
In a post on X (Twitter), PIA thanked the prime minister, foreign minister, defence ministry, and Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) for their support in restoring UK flight operations.
PIA flights to Europe, the UK, and the US were banned in June 2020 following a Karachi plane crash that killed nearly 100 people. The crash investigation led to the grounding of 262 pilots with “dubious licences,” as revealed by then-aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan.
The European flight ban was lifted in November 2024, and now, with UK approval, PIA is set to make a major comeback on British routes.
