‍DALLAS – Pakistan’s national carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PK), has been approved to relaunch scheduled services to the United Kingdom, after a five-year ban. The move follows the UK's clearance of the carrier to resume passenger and cargo flights. 

In November of last year, the EU lifted its ban on the airline using EU airspace after Pakistan had worked to satisfy the criteria established by international aviation regulators.

Large communities of Pakistani nationals live in the UK, driving the need for reliable connectivity between the two countries. PK says that it will restart services to Manchester (MAN) next month before reintroducing flights to London (LHR) and Birmingham (BHX). The route is indeed one of PK’s most profitable ones. 

Privatizing The Airline

There are privatization plans in the pipeline for PK. This is expected to take place before the end of the year. The privatization of the airline is a key condition for Pakistan's US$7 billion bailout by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The airline has, in fact, reported its first pre-tax profit in two decades. The addition of profitable UK services could indeed make PK a more attractive proposition for private investors. 

Reuters reports that various parties are interested in the national carrier. This includes Airblue, Lucky Cement, investment firm Arif Habib, and military-backed Fauji Fertilizer, all of which are local businesses.