ISLAMABAD(National Times)- Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Wednesday said that it would be increasing its weekly flights to London from four to seven starting October 27.

Under the new schedule, five flights would depart from Islamabad while two would operate on the Lahore-London route, the airline said in a statement.

“The increase in the number of flights reflects passenger confidence and rising demand,” the statement added.

Pakistani flights had been banned from flying to the European Union, the United Kingdom and the US in June 2020, after one of its aircraft crashed in Karachi, killing nearly 100 people on board.

The European Union Air Safety Agency had barred PIA from operating in EU countries over safety concerns, and the ban on flights followed then-aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan’s statement on the floor of parliament, where he termed pilots’ licences “dubious”.

The European agency lifted the ban after more than four years on Nov 28, 2024. In July 2025, the UK also removed Pakistan from its Air Safety List, allowing Pakistani airlines to apply to operate flights in Britain.

In September 2025, PIA received approval to resume direct flights to the UK after a gap of nearly five years. The airline subsequently restarted operations, with Manchester becoming the first destination.

In March, PIA also resumed direct flights to London.