State-run Pakistan International Airlines resumed flights to the United Kingdom on Saturday for the first time in five years following the lifting of a ban imposed over a fake pilot license scandal.

The airline faced a ban from both the UK and the European Union in June 2020 after a deadly crash in Karachi that killed nearly 100 people, and subsequent revelations of pilots with fake licenses.

The European ban was lifted in November 2024 after extensive safety audits, clearing the way for PIA to restore suspended routes in January of this year.

The first Boeing 777 flight from Islamabad to Manchester on Saturday marked PIA’s return following months of inspections and reforms that restored Britain’s confidence in Pakistan’s aviation system.

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