PIA to resume direct Islamabad-Birmingham flights with three weekly services from December 1

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) announced on Wednesday that it will begin operating three direct flights per week between Islamabad and Birmingham from December 1.

According to a statement issued by the airline's spokesperson, the flights will initially operate every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. He said the service would facilitate travel for a large number of Pakistanis living in the northern and central parts of the United Kingdom.

The spokesperson described the UK as an important market for PIA and said the airline was working to increase its total weekly flights between Pakistan and the UK to 23.

Birmingham Airport also confirmed the development in a post on X on Tuesday, saying direct flights to Islamabad would resume three times a week in response to strong demand from travellers in the Midlands.

In September, PIA announced plans to increase its weekly London flights from four to seven, with the revised schedule taking effect on October 27.

Pakistan's airlines were barred from operating flights to the European Union, UK and United States in June 2020 following a deadly plane crash in Karachi that claimed nearly 100 lives.