Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Saturday that the government was committed to making Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) a profitable institution.

He made the remarks during a ceremony at the Islamabad International Airport to mark the national flag carrier’s inaugural flight from the capital to the United Kingdom (UK) after a gap of nearly five years.

Last month, the airline had received Third Country Operator approval for the UK. The development came after Britain’s Department of Transport concluded that security arrangements in the country were “satisfactory and in line with international standards”. Flight operations to Manchester are resuming in the first phase, with plans to extend them to Birmingham and London in the second.

“After a long and difficult delay of five years, today the resumption of flights from Islamabad to Manchester is a feat we have achieved through our hard work and determination,” Asif said.

“This success is not a coincidence, but a living testament of the government’s priorities, strong leadership, and efforts,” he said. The minister said that the country’s image suffered immensely when the national carrier faced international bans.

“We took it as a national challenge. The government, without wasting a single moment, empowered and provided resources to the country’s aviation bodies,” he said.

“To meet the standards of the world’s strictest aviation bodies, we completely restructured pilot training, the licensing........

© Dawn Business