PIA Islamabad to Birmingham flights from 1 December: days and timings
PIA will fly Islamabad to Birmingham three times a week from 1 December. Here are the days, departure times and what it means for the Midlands.
PIA will start direct flights between Islamabad and Birmingham on Tuesday, 1 December, three times a week, the airline confirmed on Wednesday, 4 November. It is the first direct PIA link to the Midlands in years, and it means families in Birmingham, Walsall, Coventry and nearby towns no longer have to drive to Manchester or London to fly home.
Which days and what time?
The flights run on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, PIA said. According to the schedule filed for the route:
- PK791 Islamabad to Birmingham: leaves at 12:15 PM Pakistan time and lands at 4 PM UK time the same day.
- PK792 Birmingham to Islamabad: leaves at 6:30 PM UK time and lands in Islamabad at 7:15 AM the next morning.
The route is planned on a Boeing 777. Fares have not been published in the announcement, so check PIA’s website or booking offices before you plan around a price.
Why Birmingham matters
The West Midlands has one of the largest Pakistani communities in Britain, many with roots in Mirpur, Jhelum and the Potohar region, a short drive from Islamabad airport. A PIA spokesperson said the route would serve “a large number of Pakistanis” in the UK’s northern and central regions and called Britain one of the airline’s most important markets.
Birmingham Airport welcomed it on X on Tuesday, saying direct flights to Islamabad were resuming three times a week “due to high demand from travellers in the Midlands”.
How PIA got back to the UK
Pakistani airlines were barred from flying to the UK, the EU and the US in mid-2020, after the Karachi crash that killed nearly 100 people and the controversy over pilots’ licences that followed. The EU safety agency lifted its ban in November 2024, and the UK took Pakistan off its air safety list in July 2025.
PIA restarted British flights with Manchester in 2025, then added more London Heathrow flights from late October 2026. With Birmingham, the airline says it is working towards 23 flights a week between the two countries.
What to watch
The first flight leaves Islamabad on 1 December, just before the winter wedding season, when travel between the Midlands and Pakistan peaks. Watch for PIA’s published fares and whether a Lahore or Mirpur-side connection follows.
