Fares from UK to Pakistan rise by 300pc after PIA ban
LONDON: Ticket prices for flights to Pakistan from the United Kingdom have tripled as Pakistan's national carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has been banned from flying to three destinations in the United Kingdom, European Union and the United States.
A return flight from London, Manchester and Birmingham to Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi used to cost an average of £500-650 but after PIA was suspended from operating by the UK's Civil Aviation Authority (UKCAA), ticket prices have seen a three-fold increase to the £1,500-2,700 mark.
According to Skyscanner, a major travel website, the cheapest return ticket from London to Lahore is offered by Turkish Airlines which costs a whopping £1,445 which is almost Rs300,000. British Airways, which recently started operations in Pakistan, is offering the same flight for over £2,000 which would cost the traveller over Rs400,000.
A flight by Qatar Airways and Emirates would set back a single traveller over £2,500 which is an unprecedented price for a return ticket from the UK to Pakistan. Another flight by Qatar Airways and British Airways costs £2,796.
Source: The News