Pakistan International Airlines Restarts Flights to the UK After 5-Year Ban

Published 13 hours ago

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Above: A Pakistan International Airlines plane taxis on a runway in Toronto, Canada in May 2025. Image copyright: Mike Campbell/NurPhoto/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

The resumption of direct flights between Pakistan and the U.K. is a powerful symbol of the enduring friendship and partnership between the countries. Not only will this serve hundreds of thousands of passengers each year, it unlocks great opportunities for trade, tourism and cultural exchange.

Manchester Evening News

Establishment-critical narrative

The return of PIA flights to the U.K. may finally mean that the ringleaders of the Rochdale grooming scandal, British-Pakistani men who were stripped of their U.K. citizenship after being convicted, will finally be deported to their home country. Pakistan had refused to take them but this development may unlock negotiations.

The Telegraph