PIA to launch three direct weekly Islamabad-Birmingham flights from Dec 1

Spokesperson says airline aims to increase the total number of weekly flights between Pakistan, UK to 23

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Wednesday said it would launch three weekly direct flights between Islamabad and Birmingham from December 1, expanding its UK network to facilitate Pakistani residents in northern and central parts of Britain.

According to a PIA spokesperson, the flights would initially operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

New Airline Announcement! ✈️🎉

We're delighted to announce that PIA will be returning to Birmingham Airport (BHX) on 1 December 2026.

Due to high demand from travellers in the Midlands , direct flights to Islamabad will be resuming three times a week.

With more than 320,000… pic.twitter.com/MnhqTtIvua

— Birmingham Airport (@bhx_official) November 3, 2026

The spokesperson added that the UK was an important destination for PIA, adding that the airline aimed to increase the total number of weekly flights between Pakistan and the UK to 23.

Read: PIA resumes UK flights after five-year ban

On September 3, PIA decided to expand its air operations to London, increasing the number of weekly flights to seven from October 27.

A PIA spokesperson stated the national flag carrier would operate daily flights between Pakistan and London, including five weekly flights between Islamabad and London and two between Lahore and London, adding that the increase in flight frequency reflected growing passenger demand and confidence in the national airline.

PIA resumed direct flights to Britain in October last year, months after UK authorities ended a five-year suspension imposed over aviation safety concerns.

The flag carrier was earlier barred from flying to Britain, the European Union and the United States in June 2020, a month after one of its Airbus A320 aircraft plunged into a Karachi neighbourhood, killing nearly 100 people.

The deadly crash was blamed on human error.

Read More: UK team reviews PIA safety systems

Britain lifted restrictions on Pakistani carriers in July 2025 after concluding that aviation safety standards were "satisfactory and in line with international norms".