PIA to launch three direct Islamabad-Birmingham flights a week from December 1
Pakistan International Airlines will run three direct flights a week between Islamabad and Birmingham from December 1, restoring a direct link for travellers in the English Midlands, the airline and Birmingham Airport have announced.
Pakistan International Airlines will launch three direct flights a week between Islamabad and Birmingham from December 1, the airline announced on Wednesday, restoring a direct air link that travellers in the English Midlands have been waiting years to see return.
The new services will initially operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, according to a statement from the airline's spokesperson reported by Dawn and The Express Tribune. Birmingham Airport confirmed the return a day earlier, saying in a post on X on Tuesday that direct flights to Islamabad would resume three times a week because of high demand from travellers in the Midlands.
The route matters because it is the only direct service from the Midlands to Pakistan, according to Birmingham Airport's announcement. For the large Pakistani community in Birmingham and the surrounding region, the alternative until now has meant travelling to another British airport or taking a connecting flight, adding hours and cost to journeys that are often made to visit family.
Flight timings reported for the service underline that family-travel focus. The outbound flight, PK791, is scheduled to leave Islamabad at 12.15 p.m. and arrive in Birmingham at 4 p.m., while the return flight, PK792, leaves Birmingham at 6.30 p.m. and reaches Islamabad at 7.15 a.m. the following day, with all times local.
The airline's spokesperson said the United Kingdom was an important destination for PIA and that the carrier aimed to increase its total number of weekly flights between Pakistan and the UK to 23, as it rebuilds a network that was sharply reduced when its UK operations were suspended in 2020. Aviation Week's route reporting notes that PIA previously served Birmingham before that suspension, and that it will become the only scheduled nonstop operator between the two cities.
The Birmingham announcement follows the gradual restoration of PIA's British services and comes at a moment when demand for direct Pakistan-UK travel remains strong. Birmingham Airport's chief commercial officer, Matt Hazelwood, welcomed the service, saying the airport looked forward to seeing it get under way in December and pointing to the significant existing demand in the market it serves.
For passengers, the practical questions now are booking and price. PIA has said travellers can use its official channels for schedules and fares, and the airline's own announcement, rather than any third-party listing, is the reliable source for the final timetable. As with any new route, the first weeks will test whether the three-weekly pattern holds or grows in response to bookings.
The wider significance is commercial as well as personal. Direct links support trade, tourism and business travel between Pakistan and the UK, and a Midlands gateway spreads that benefit beyond London. If the Birmingham service performs as the airport expects, it could strengthen the case for further expansion of PIA's UK network, which the airline has already signalled it wants to grow.
There are still details to watch. Aircraft type has varied across route reports, so passengers should confirm the equipment on their own booking rather than relying on advance schedule listings. What is confirmed by both the airline and the airport, however, is the core offer: three direct flights a week, from December 1, between Islamabad and Birmingham, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
For now, the message for travellers in the Midlands is simple. After years without a direct option, a nonstop link to Islamabad is back on the departure boards, and the first flights are less than a month away.
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