{
  "id": 18144173,
  "title": "PIA to run 3 weekly direct flights between Islamabad and Birmingham from Dec 1",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/04/pia-to-run-3-weekly-direct-flights-between-islamabad-and-birmingham",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-04T15:30:50.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dawn - Pakistan",
    "slug": "dawn-pakistan",
    "url": "https://www.dawn.com/news/2042101/pia-to-run-3-weekly-direct-flights-between-islamabad-and-birmingham-from-dec-1"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) announced on Wednesday that it will commence three weekly direct flights between Islamabad and Birmingham starting from December 1. According to the airline's spokesperson, the new routes will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The flights aim to provide direct air travel to a significant number of Pakistanis residing in the northern and central regions of the United Kingdom. The UK is considered a crucial air route for PIA, and the airline is striving to increase the total weekly flights between the two countries to 23. Birmingham Airport confirmed the resumption of direct flights to Islamabad three times a week due to high demand from Midlands travelers. In September, PIA had revealed its plan to boost weekly flights to London from four to seven beginning October 27. Previously, Pakistani flights were barred from flying to the European Union, UK, and United States since June 2020 due to a crash in Karachi that killed nearly 100 people. The European Union Air Safety Agency had imposed the ban over safety concerns following then-aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan's remarks about dubious pilots' licenses. The ban was lifted by the European agency in late November 2024 after more than four years. In July 2025, the UK removed Pakistan from its Air Safety List, enabling Pakistani airlines to apply for operating flights in Britain. PIA received approval to resume direct flights to the UK after nearly five years in September of the previous year, with Manchester being the inaugural destination.",
  "summary": "Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) announced on Wednesday that it is launching three weekly direct flights between Islamabad and Birmingham from Dec 1. The new flights will initially operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, according to a statement by the airline’s spokesperson. He added that the flights will provide direct air travel to a “large number of Pakistanis living in the…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}