Pakistan International Airlines has carried more than 100,000 passengers on its Manchester routes as it marks one year since launching direct flights to Islamabad.
A total of 104,845 passengers have travelled on the airline’s Islamabad and Lahore services. PIA began the Islamabad route on 25 October 2025 and added Lahore in July 2026.
Islamabad flights double to four a week
Demand has seen the Islamabad service grow from two to four weekly flights, departing Manchester on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
The Lahore route operates once a week, on Wednesdays, bringing PIA’s Manchester schedule to five weekly departures across the two destinations.
The services provide direct connections for northern England’s Pakistani communities, including those in Manchester and Bradford. According to 2021 figures cited by Manchester Airport, more than 300,000 British Pakistanis live across the North.
Yasmin Qureshi, MP for Bolton South and Walkden and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Pakistan, welcomed the increase in flights.
“I’m delighted to see that this service has been so successful and that flights have increased, allowing families to have more choice over when they travel,” she said.
Routes carry more than 1,500 tonnes of cargo
Alongside passenger traffic, the two routes have transported 1,541 tonnes of cargo, comprising 1,412 tonnes of imports and 129 tonnes shipped to Pakistan.
Major imports by volume included fresh fruit, vegetables and nuts, pharmaceutical products, clothing and fabrics.
Manchester Airport Managing Director Chris Woodroofe said the routes support family travel, trade and investment.
“Our direct links to Pakistan with PIA encapsulate all of these different strands of connection and the vital role the airport plays in that,” he said.
Woodroofe added that the airport’s £1.5 billion Terminal 2 investment puts Manchester in a stronger position to develop further international connections.
