PIA resumes direct Islamabad–London flights after six years

Pakistan International Airlines launched its first direct flight from Islamabad to London in six years on Sunday afternoon, following a special inauguration ceremony at Islamabad International Airport.

Flight PK-785 departed at 1:19pm, slightly delayed from its original 12:50pm schedule. PIA plans to operate four weekly flights between Islamabad and London, using Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 4 for arrivals and departures.

The inaugural ceremony included the ribbon-cutting by Defence Secretary Lt Gen (r) Muhammad Ali, British High Commissioner Jane Mariott, and Chairman of the PIA Consortium Arif Habib, according to Pakistan Television.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had earlier announced that PIA would start direct flights from Islamabad and Lahore to London on March 29 and 30, respectively.

In September, PIA received approval to resume direct UK flights after nearly five years. The airline initially restarted service to Manchester and had plans to expand operations to Birmingham and London, completing the phased restoration of its UK network.