Islamabad. Pakistan’s state-owned airline on Saturday resumed direct flights to the UK after ending a five-year suspension imposed by the UK over aviation safety concerns.

Debt-ridden Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) was suspended from flying to the UK, the European Union and the United States in June 2020, a month after an Airbus A320 crashed near Karachi killing nearly 100 people.

The fatal crash was blamed on human error. In July, the UK lifted the ban on Pakistani flag carriers, concluding that air safety standards were satisfactory and in line with international standards.

Speaking at a ceremony at the Islamabad International Airport on Saturday, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said the resumption of flights to the UK was a major milestone in rebuilding the credibility of the PIA.

“The resumption of flights from Islamabad to Manchester today after a long and difficult delay of five years is an achievement as a result of our hard work and determination,” Asif said.

In the years since the ban was imposed, Pakistani authorities have made changes to pilot training, licensing, aircraft maintenance and safety protocols to meet international standards, he said.

In addition to flying twice a week between Islamabad and Manchester, PIA also plans to operate flights to London and Birmingham.

The airline was allowed to resume flights to Paris in January after the European Union aviation safety agency lifted a ban on PIA in November 2024.

Pakistan’s flag carrier PIA, which employs around seven thousand people, has long struggled with debt, mismanagement and regulatory issues. The government has promised to privatise the airline, although a deal fell through last year after a buyer company offered much lower than the price offered.

Established in 1955, the PIA was once a symbol of Pakistan’s national pride and rapid development, but its reputation has been eroded by decades of financial deficits and security lapses.