Pakistan International Airlines is no longer a state-run carrier.
The government sold 75 percent of the airline on 29 June 2026, in Pakistan’s first major privatisation in more than two decades.
The flying side has been rebuilding in parallel: European access came back in late 2024, UK access in 2025, and PIA added Manchester capacity from both Islamabad and Lahore in July 2026.
Latest PIA updates
Last updated: 14 August 2026.
Who owns PIA now
The airline is controlled by PIA Equity Ltd, a consortium led by Arif Habib Corporation. The government kept the remaining 25 percent, and the consortium holds an option to buy that out later.
The part of the deal that should eventually show up at the gate is the money going in. Rs125 billion of fresh equity is earmarked for fleet and operations, Rs80 billion of it paid at the June close and a further Rs45 billion due within a year.
Where PIA flies in August 2026
PIA’s European and UK access is restored and being used. EASA lifted its suspension of PIA’s third-country operator authorisation on 29 November 2024, and the airline resumed Islamabad to Paris in January 2025.
The UK Civil Aviation Authority lifted its own ban on 16 July 2025, issued PIA a third-country operator certificate in September 2025, and PIA restarted Manchester flying that October.
Heathrow followed in 2026. Islamabad to London Heathrow restarted on 29 March 2026 and Lahore to Heathrow on 30 March 2026, ending a six-year absence from the airport. Manchester now takes four weekly flights from Islamabad and one from Lahore following the July 2026 expansion.
The Gulf and Saudi network remains PIA’s commercial core, with Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore all served to Jeddah, Riyadh and Dubai. Saudi services held up best through the regional disruption earlier in 2026. If you are tracking a specific departure, our PIA flight status guide explains how to check operations day by day.
One constraint has not moved. Indian airspace is closed to Pakistani operators and Pakistani airspace is closed to Indian ones, with both bans rolled over in monthly notices since April 2025, so PIA sectors east of Pakistan take longer.
PIA fares from Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore
The figures below are live one-way economy fares from real searches on Wego, sampled on 14 August 2026 for travel on 14 September 2026, in US dollars. Every itinerary is a nonstop flight on PIA’s own metal, checked by marketing carrier and flight number.
Two things stand out. Pakistan’s domestic trunk routes are extremely cheap by regional standards, with Karachi to Lahore and Karachi to Islamabad both under $90 one way. And Jeddah pricing is uneven across the three bases: Karachi to Jeddah came in $133 below Islamabad to Jeddah on the same day, which is the kind of gap worth checking before you fix a departure city for Umrah travel.
What this means for your trip: Ownership has changed but the operating certificate, the flight numbers and the ticket conditions have not. Bookings made before 29 June 2026 remain valid, and refund and change rules still follow PIA’s published fare rules rather than anything the consortium has introduced. Read our PIA refund and cancellation guide before you buy a restricted fare.
PIA’s safety record, stated plainly
PIA’s most recent fatal accident was flight PK8303 on 22 May 2020, an Airbus A320 that crashed into a residential area on approach to Karachi. Of the 99 people on board, 97 died, along with one person on the ground. The investigation attributed the accident to human error, non-adherence to standard operating procedures and disregard of air traffic control instructions.
Before that, flight PK661 crashed near Havelian on 7 December 2016 while flying an ATR 42 from Chitral to Islamabad. All 47 people on board died. The final report pointed to engine maintenance procedures that had not been followed.
The 2020 crash triggered a separate crisis. In June 2020 Pakistan’s aviation minister told parliament that 262 of 860 active pilot licences were suspect, and the Civil Aviation Authority grounded those pilots pending verification.
After the review, 50 licences were cancelled and the majority were cleared. EASA suspended PIA’s authorisation to fly to the EU with effect from 1 July 2020, and the UK followed.
Those suspensions have since been reversed by the regulators that imposed them, which is the most concrete evidence available that oversight changed.
EASA restored PIA’s third-country operator authorisation on 29 November 2024 after re-establishing confidence in Pakistani regulatory oversight. The UK Civil Aviation Authority lifted its ban on 16 July 2025 and issued a third-country operator certificate in September 2025 following inspections in Pakistan. PIA has had no fatal accident since 2020.
Before you fly PIA
Pakistan tightened its outbound documentation checks in 2026, and enforcement sits at immigration rather than the airline counter, so a valid ticket alone will not get you through. Our guide to Pakistan airport immigration checks sets out what officers are asking for.
If Karachi is your departure point, Jinnah International splits domestic and international operations across separate terminals with a landside transfer between them, so allow extra time on same-day connections. See our Karachi airport guide, and compare hotels in Karachi if you need a night either side of a long-haul departure.
Frequently asked questions
Has PIA been privatised, and who owns it now?
Yes, the sale has closed. On 29 June 2026 the government transferred 75 percent of the shares and full management control to PIA Equity Ltd, a consortium led by Arif Habib Corporation. The state kept the remaining 25 percent.
Does PIA fly to the UK and Europe again?
Yes. EASA restored PIA’s EU authorisation on 29 November 2024 and the UK CAA lifted its ban on 16 July 2025. PIA flies Islamabad and Lahore to London Heathrow, restarted in late March 2026, plus four weekly Islamabad to Manchester services and one weekly Lahore to Manchester service since 3 July 2026.
Does the ownership change affect tickets I have already booked?
No. The airline continues to operate under the same air operator certificate, the same PK flight numbers and the same published fare rules. Tickets issued before the handover remain valid, and refunds and changes still follow the fare conditions attached to your booking.
Who is PIA’s chief executive?
The seat is unfilled as of 14 August 2026. PIA had lined up former Ethiopian Airlines chief Tewolde Gebremariam, but he was named chief executive of Air India instead on 6 August 2026.
Why do PIA flights to Southeast Asia take longer than expected?
India closed its airspace to Pakistani-registered aircraft in April 2025 and Pakistan imposed a matching restriction. Both have been renewed in rolling notices, most recently through late August 2026, so PIA has to route around Indian airspace on eastbound sectors.
Sources
- Dawn (first financial close on 29 June 2026 and the terms of the handover)
- The Express Tribune (Rs125 billion equity commitment for fleet and operations)
- Aviation Week (independent confirmation that the handover completed)
- Arab News (PIA’s chief executive selection, July 2026)
- Air India newsroom (Tewolde Gebremariam appointed Air India chief executive, 6 August 2026)
- AeroRoutes (Manchester schedule expansion effective 3 July 2026, flight numbers and equipment)
- Dawn (Pakistan Airports Authority airspace notice, 18 July 2026)
- EASA (third-country operator authorisation framework and status)
- UK Civil Aviation Authority (UK third-country operator certification)
- Aviation Safety Network (PK661 accident record, 7 December 2016)
- Wego flight search data, fares sampled 14 August 2026 (fare figures in the chart)
The information in this article is accurate as of 14 August 2026. Routes, fares and airline policies change frequently, so confirm details with the airline before booking.
