{
  "id": 5049446,
  "title": "PIA to increase weekly flights to London from four to seven from Oct 27",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/02/pia-to-increase-weekly-flights-to-london-from-four-to-seven-from-oct",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-02T08:46:52.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dawn - Pakistan",
    "slug": "dawn-pakistan",
    "url": "https://www.dawn.com/news/2026866/pia-to-increase-weekly-flights-to-london-from-four-to-seven-from-oct-27"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) announced on Wednesday that it will increase its weekly flights to London from four to seven beginning October 27. The new schedule will see five flights departing from Islamabad and two from Lahore, according to the airline's statement. PIA's statement attributed the increase in flights to \"passenger confidence and rising demand.\" Since June 2020, Pakistani flights had been barred from entering the European Union, United Kingdom, and the United States following a tragic crash that killed nearly 100 people on board one of its aircraft. The European Union Air Safety Agency had imposed the ban due to safety concerns, following aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan's assertion about pilots' licenses being dubious. The ban was lifted on November 28, 2024, after a period of over four years. In July 2025, the United Kingdom removed Pakistan from its Air Safety List, enabling Pakistani airlines to apply for flights to Britain. PIA received approval to resume direct flights to the UK in September 2025, starting with Manchester as the first destination. March saw the resumption of direct flights to London.",
  "summary": "Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Wednesday said that it would be increasing its weekly flights to London from four to seven starting October 27. Under the new schedule, five flights would depart from Islamabad while two would operate on the Lahore-London route, the airline said in a statement. “The increase in the number of flights reflects passenger confidence and rising demand,” the…",
  "key_points": [
    "PIA to increase London flights from 4 to 7 weekly starting Oct 27",
    "Flights will originate from Islamabad and Lahore",
    "Increase attributed to passenger confidence and rising demand"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Dawn",
        "title": "PIA to increase weekly flights to London from four to seven from Oct 27",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/02/pia-to-increase-weekly-flights-to-london-from-four-to-seven-from-oct-5054766",
        "published": "2026-09-02T08:46:52.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}