KARACHI: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has recovered 14 landing slots at London’s Heathrow Airport, paving the way for the national carrier to increase its UK operations.
The restored slots, which had previously been assigned to foreign airlines following restrictions on PIA’s UK services, are expected to support an expansion of flights under the winter schedule starting in October.
Sources said PIA is likely to increase its Islamabad-London service from three to five flights per week. Lahore-London operations are also expected to rise from one to two weekly flights.
The additional capacity could further improve connections between Karachi and Sialkot and London through PIA’s network, while strengthening the airline’s presence in the UK market.
PIA had previously surrendered part of its Heathrow capacity after restrictions were imposed on its European operations. In 2022, seven Heathrow slots were temporarily allocated to foreign carriers.
Of these, six slots were assigned to Turkish Airlines, while one was given to Kuwait Airways for six months.
The arrangement followed the suspension of PIA flights by European authorities and allowed the national carrier to manage its Heathrow slots through agreements with foreign airlines.
The recovery of the 14 slots marks a significant step toward restoring PIA’s London operations and enhancing direct air connectivity between Pakistan and the United Kingdom.
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