Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will resume flights to Britain next month, ending a five-year suspension as Islamabad prepares to privatise the national carrier under its IMF bailout.
The airline said on Wednesday it had received clearance from Britain to operate passenger and cargo flights. Services will begin from Manchester before being expanded to Birmingham and London.
Britain and the European Union banned PIA in 2020 after Pakistan’s then aviation minister admitted that some pilots held fraudulent licences. The EU lifted its ban last November after Pakistan met new aviation safety standards.
The resumption comes as Islamabad presses ahead with plans to privatise PIA, a requirement of its $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout. The carrier last reported a pre-tax profit this month — its first in 20 years.
Five Pakistani business groups have shown interest in acquiring the airline, including Airblue, Lucky Cement, investment firm Arif Habib, and military-linked Fauji Fertilizer. Final bids are expected later in 2025.
Direct flights to Britain are among PIA’s most profitable routes, and the carrier hopes reopening the market will boost its value ahead of privatisation.
The U.S. embassy in Riyadh was hit by two drones resulting in a limited fire and some material damage...
The Israeli military has begun a new wave of strikes on Tehran, it said late on Monday. The strikes came after it issued...
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that the U.S. and Israel's war against&...
The U.S. will take action to mitigate rising energy prices due to a spike in the price of oil caused ...
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton told lawmakers that President Donald Trump told him he had "some great tim...
The U.S. embassy in Riyadh was hit by two drones resulting in a limited fire and some material damage, the kingdom's defence ministry said in a post on X on Tuesday, citing an initial assessment.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that the U.S. and Israel's war against Iran may take "some time" but it will not take years.
The U.S. will take action to mitigate rising energy prices due to a spike in the price of oil caused by the Iran conflict, Secretary of State Rubio said on Monday.
The U.S.-Iran crisis has entered its third day, with further strikes reported across the Middle East and the death toll rising. Oil prices have surged to levels last seen during the Covid-19 pandemic, raising fears of economic disruption and higher prices worldwide.
Follow the latest developments and global reaction after the U.S. and Israel launched “major combat operations” in Iran, prompting retaliation from Tehran.
Saudi Arabia’s state oil giant Saudi Aramco closed its Ras Tanura refinery on Monday following an Iranian drone strike, an industry source told Reuters as Tehran retaliated across the Gulf after a U.S.-Israeli attack on Iranian targets over the weekend.
The Kremlin is utilising the recent United States and Israeli military strikes on Iran to validate its ongoing war in Ukraine. Russian officials are pointing to the escalation in the Middle East as evidence that Western nations do not adhere to international rules.
The Middle East crisis intensifies after the deadly attack on the compound of the Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei on Saturday that killed him, other family members and senior figures. Iran has launched retaliatory strikes on U.S. targets in the region.
Ayatollah Alireza Arafi has moved into a pivotal constitutional role following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, becoming the clerical member of Iran’s temporary leadership council under Article 111 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The U.S. embassy in Riyadh was hit by two drones resulting in a limited fire and some material damage, the kingdom's defence ministry said in a post on X on Tuesday, citing an initial assessment.
The Israeli military has begun a new wave of strikes on Tehran, it said late on Monday. The strikes came after it issued an evacuation warning for residents in Tehran, particularly those residing near state broadcaster IRIB's headquarters.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that the U.S. and Israel's war against Iran may take "some time" but it will not take years.
The U.S. will take action to mitigate rising energy prices due to a spike in the price of oil caused by the Iran conflict, Secretary of State Rubio said on Monday.
Türkiye and Iran have suspended day-trip passenger crossings at their shared border, Türkiye's trade minister said Monday, as a U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran entered its third day.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment