Pakistan Worldwide Airways (PIA) has resumed direct flights between Lahore and Manchester after six years, with the primary flight from Punjab’s provincial capital taking off on Thursday.
In response to a press release issued by PIA, PK-709 departed from Lahore with 325 passengers on board.
An inaugural ceremony was held at Lahore airport, the place PIA Chief Working Officer Khurram Mushtaq noticed off the passengers, the assertion stated.
Hours in the past, the primary flight destined for Lahore left Manchester on Wednesday night time.
The PIA assertion stated the resumption of flights on the Lahore-Manchester route would assist strengthen “people-to-people ties” between the 2 international locations.
PIA now operates 5 weekly flights between Pakistan and Manchester, the assertion stated, including that these included 4 flights from Islamabad and one from Lahore.
Pakistani flights had been banned from flying to the European Union, the UK and the US in June 2020, after considered one of its plane crashed in Karachi, killing practically 100 folks on board.
The European Union Air Security Company had barred PIA from working in EU international locations over security issues, and the ban on flights adopted the then-aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan’s assertion on the ground of parliament, the place he termed pilots’ licenses “doubtful”.
The European company lifted the ban after greater than 4 years on Nov 28, 2024. In July 2025, the UK additionally eliminated Pakistan from its Air Security Checklist, permitting Pakistani airways to use to function flights in Britain.
In September 2025, PIA acquired approval to renew direct flights to the UK after a niche of practically 5 years. The airline subsequently restarted operations, with Manchester turning into the primary vacation spot.
On Jan 8, PIA introduced that it will additionally resume direct flights to London, ending a six-year hiatus.
