MANCHESTER(National times)- Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) inaugural direct flights from Islamabad carrying 284 passengers landed at the Manchester Airport on Sunday after a five-year break. A large number of overseas Pakistanis reached the airport to welcome their loved ones. Earlier, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif and British High Commissioner Jane Marriott had bid farewell to the flight. A special ceremony was held at Islamabad Airport, where the Defense Minister formally inaugurated the resumption of flight operations to UK. Speaking on the occasion, Khawaja Asif said that the ban on the national airline had affected the country’s reputation, and this success is the result of the current government’s correct priorities. He added that Pakistani diplomats in the UK and Europe effectively represented Pakistan’s case, and played a key role in securing the resumption of PIA’s direct flights. Khawaja Asif said that with the current government’s efforts the reputation of PIA has been restored. He informed that initially, two weekly flights will operate — on Tuesdays and Saturdays – on this route, with plans to expand the operation to Birmingham and London in the next phase. The British High Commissioner stated that flight operations to more cities will soon resume. She congratulated the Pakistani nation and the Prime Minister on the restoration of PIA flights to the UK, saying that the national airline’s reputation has been restored after years of effort. It is pertinent to mention here that before the suspension, PIA operated 21 weekly flights to the UK, including 10 to London, 9 to Manchester, and two to Birmingham.