PIA hits 100,000 passenger milestone marking 12 months of direct services from Manchester Airport

Pakistan’s biggest airline has hit an impressive milestone in its operations at Manchester Airport – as it marks a year of linking the south Asian country to the UK’s Northern hub.

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) – the country’s flag carrier – launched its service from Manchester to the capital Islamabad on 25 October last year, following that up with a new link to Lahore this July.

The airline has now surpassed 100,000 passengers on these two services – with a total of 104,845 having taken advantage of the direct links on offer.

The Islamabad service was initially twice-weekly, but has now doubled to a four-times-weekly service due to the strength of demand, with flights departing Manchester on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The recently added Lahore service operates once per week, on Wednesdays.

A total of 1,541 tonnes of cargo has been carried across the two routes as well, with 1,412 tonnes imported and 129 tonnes shipped outbound to Pakistan – generating millions for the Northern economy. Some of the biggest imports by volume were fresh fruit, vegetables and nuts, pharmaceutical products, clothing and fabrics.

Together, the two services are a vital bridge between the North and Pakistan for the region’s sizeable Pakistani diaspora. According to 2021 data, the North is home to more than 300,000 British Pakistanis, with significant concentrations in Manchester and Bradford.

We’re proud to connect the people of the North with the world, and that takes many forms – from connecting diaspora communities with friends and loved ones, to driving economic development here in this part of the country, making Manchester and the region a more attractive place to live, study and work, and bringing inward investment.

“Our direct links to Pakistan with PIA encapsulate all of these different strands of connection and the vital role the airport plays in that. Our outstanding new facilities in Terminal 2 – the result of a decade-long, £1.5bn investment – puts us in a fantastic position to continue developing connections to Pakistan and other parts of the world, growing our route network to the benefit of the communities that live here.”

Chris Woodroofe – Managing Director, Manchester Airport

Yasmin Qureshi, MP for Bolton South and Walkden and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Pakistan, said: “It’s been great to see the return of direct flights to Pakistan from Manchester, making trips for British Pakistanis cheaper and more convenient. I’m delighted to see that this service has been so successful and that flights have increased, allowing families to have more choice over when they travel”.

Afzal Khan CBE, MP for Manchester Rusholme and Chair of the Greater Manchester – Pakistan Forum, said: “Even though the flight path has only been open a year it has already proven to be a massive success for our region. Over 350,000 people in the North West fly to Islamabad every year from the UK to visit family, friends, and do business. This means this flight path is having a huge positive impact on communities in the North West and has also been a huge boost for our regional economy.”