What happened
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) announced on Wednesday that it will launch three weekly direct flights between Islamabad and Birmingham from 1 December. The flights will initially operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, according to a statement by the airline’s spokesperson, and are aimed at the large number of Pakistanis living in the northern and central regions of the United Kingdom. Birmingham Airport confirmed the resumption in a post on X on Tuesday, saying direct flights to Islamabad would resume three times a week due to high demand from travellers in the Midlands.
The airline described the UK as a “highly important” route and said efforts were being made to increase the total number of weekly flights between Pakistan and the UK to 23. In September, PIA said it would increase its weekly flights to London from four to seven, starting from 27 October. The route’s return follows a long suspension: Pakistani flights were banned from the European Union, the UK and the United States in June 2020 after a Karachi crash that killed nearly 100 people. The European Union Air Safety Agency lifted its ban on 28 November 2024, and the UK removed Pakistan from its Air Safety List in July 2025, allowing PIA to resume direct flights the following September after a five-year gap.
What it means for travellers
For UK-based travellers heading to Pakistan — including the large British-Pakistani community with family ties in the north — a direct Birmingham–Islamabad service removes a connection and shortens the journey, with three departures a week to plan around. Islamabad is the standard gateway for Gilgit-Baltistan trips, so Midlands travellers gain a simpler route to the start of a northern itinerary, though onward travel to Gilgit, Skardu or Hunza still needs separate planning and is not part of this announcement.
The broader trend matters too: with London frequencies raised to seven a week and total UK flights targeted at 23 a week, UK–Pakistan capacity is clearly expanding, which usually means more choice and competitive fares on the route. The practical advice is to book early for the December launch weeks, when new-route demand is typically highest, and to double-check the Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday schedule when it appears in booking systems, since launch schedules can shift.
Source: Dawn
