Pakistan International Arlines (PIA) : News / Updates

Philippine Airlines McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 undergoing maintenance checks performed by PIA Engineering inside Ispahani Hangar at Karachi Airport.

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1964 photo of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Boeing 720B at Dacca Airport in East Pakistan.

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The passengers and crew who died in the accident that occurred while landing PIA's inaugural flight from Karachi to Cairo on May 1965 included Mumi Gul.

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Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has decided to temporarily suspend its Canada flight operations for one month for aircraft maintenance.

“This step has been taken for the necessary maintenance of special Boeing 777 long-range aircraft that cross the Pacific Ocean,” a PIA spokesperson said on Friday.

Read more: https://www.dawn.com/news/1941608/pia-halts-canada-flights-operations-for-a-month
 
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Pakistan International Airways. We were leaving Mangla to return to the USA. JEFFREY
added ~ This plane, the Fokker Friendship F-27 did not fly to Karachi, the route from Mangla Airfield was either to Lahore or Pindi and then you boarded a Vickers Viscount 4 prop plane for the hop to Karachi in about 3 hrs 25 mins; in 1967,

PIA began flying Trident jets from Lahore and Pindi to Karachi in about 2 hrs 15 mins
 
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TravelPulse Canada

Airlines and Airports
PIA Suspends Canadian Service for Rest of September
Image: Tomb of Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah in Karachi, Pakistan (Photo Credit: Photo by Hassan Anwer on Unsplash)
Image: Tomb of Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah in Karachi, Pakistan (Photo Credit: Photo by Hassan Anwer on Unsplash)

Jen Mallia
by Jen Mallia
Last updated: 12:15 PM ET, Mon September 15, 2025
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) usually operates a weekly flight between Karachi (KHI) and Toronto Pearson (YYZ), but it has been put on hiatus while the airline performs “necessary maintenance” on its long haul aircraft, reports Arab News.

The route is serviced by PIA’s Boeing 777, an aircraft that is capable of flights of up to 17 hours.

“The two long-range aircraft will undergo a three-week technical inspection and replacement of parts, which is inevitable after every ten years,” PIA said in a statement.

“The aim of the aircraft repairs at this time is to fully prepare them before the expected passenger rush in the coming month.”

There are no flights listed on the PIA website between Canada and Pakistan until Sep. 30, 2025.

According to the Arab News report, the airline apologized for the inconvenience caused to its passengers but said their safety and complete fitness of the aircraft was its top priority.

The airline faced troubles in the past, having been banned in June 2020 from flying to the European Union (EU), the United Kingdom and the United States, following a May 2020 tragedy when an Airbus A-320s crashed into a residential neighborhood in Karachi, killing nearly 100 people.

The disaster was attributed to human error by the pilots and air traffic control, reported the BBC at the time.

In November 2024, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) announced it was lifting the ban on PIA, while the UK removed Pakistan from its ‘Air Safety List’ on July 16, which meant PIA could apply for permits to resume UK flights.
 
Yes this has only been made public now but apparently speaking to a relative who works in PIA the reason is due to a parts shortage. :(
 
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World's largest aircraft shed in Karachi (1927)
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Aviation rapidly started in the 1920s. At that time Karachi had become an important port and military center. The British government decided to build a central base for air and commercial flights here.

In 1927 Armstrong Whitworth Construction Company (called) Commonly referred to as ''Armstrong Construction'') built the world's largest aircraft hanger/shed in Karachi.

The shed was built to house the largest aircraft of the era, including both military and commercial aircraft. This shed us The world's largest free-span aircraft hanger in the era. Its structure was made entirely of steel. The width and length were so large that it could hold several large aircraft at the same time.

According to various historical references, the shed was approximately 850–859 feet long, 180–200 feet wide, and ~170 feet high — considered one of the largest public buildings of the era.

It was a masterpiece of engineering by the standards of that era. In the 1920–30s, in spite of the British Royal Air Force (RAF) and commercial lines e.g. Imperial Airways used Karachi as their main destination.

That was the reason that this airport of Karachi (Drigh Road) The Airfield, later called PAF Base Faisal) was the most important aviation hub in Asia.

The construction of this shed featured Karachi on the map of world aviation. The shed was later used under Pakistan Air Force. Local and foreign historians called it "the world The biggest aircraft of the year remember as the Shed 1927".

The airship hangar built in Karachi (now Pakistan), which was intended to house the British R101 airship.

This massive structure, known locally as "Kala Chapra" (Black Hangar), was the largest building in the British Empire at the time of its completion.

It was built as part of an ambitious imperial airship scheme to connect various parts of the British Empire.

The R101 airship, however, tragically crashed in France during its maiden voyage from England to Karachi in 1930, killing most of its passengers and crew.

As a result of the crash, the hangar was never used for its intended purpose and became a symbol of Britain's failed airship ambitions.

The hangar was eventually demolished in the 1960s.
 

PIA gets TCO certificate, set to resume UK operations next month​


Dawn.com
September 24, 2025

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A view of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) passenger plane, taken through a glass panel, at Islamabad International Airport, Pakistan on Oct 3, 2023. — Reuters
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaMc238IiRov8okfYy3n
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) announced on Wednesday that it has received Third Country Operator (TCO) approval for flight operations in the United Kingdom and is expected to return to British skies next month, according to a statement.

In July, the UK removed Pakistan from its Air Safety List, allowing Pakistani airlines to now apply to operate flights in Britain. The development came after the UK Department for Transport concluded an aviation security inspection at Islamabad International Airport on Thursday, declaring Pakistan’s security arrangements “satisfactory and in line with international standards”.

Having received the TCO certification, the national carrier announced that it would now be allowed to operate direct flights and carry not only passengers but also cargo.

“In the first phase, flight operations to Manchester will be resumed, after which Birmingham and London will be included in the B network,” the statement read, adding that the carrier was informed about the approval a day prior.
 
ghazi52 said:

PIA gets TCO certificate, set to resume UK operations next month​


Dawn.com
September 24, 2025

View attachment 149083

A view of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) passenger plane, taken through a glass panel, at Islamabad International Airport, Pakistan on Oct 3, 2023. — Reuters
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaMc238IiRov8okfYy3n
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) announced on Wednesday that it has received Third Country Operator (TCO) approval for flight operations in the United Kingdom and is expected to return to British skies next month, according to a statement.

In July, the UK removed Pakistan from its Air Safety List, allowing Pakistani airlines to now apply to operate flights in Britain. The development came after the UK Department for Transport concluded an aviation security inspection at Islamabad International Airport on Thursday, declaring Pakistan’s security arrangements “satisfactory and in line with international standards”.

Having received the TCO certification, the national carrier announced that it would now be allowed to operate direct flights and carry not only passengers but also cargo.

“In the first phase, flight operations to Manchester will be resumed, after which Birmingham and London will be included in the B network,” the statement read, adding that the carrier was informed about the approval a day prior.
Click to expand...
Very good news. 😊
 
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