Ticket prices for flights to Pakistan from the United Kingdom have increased three times after Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) was banned from entering three destinations in the UK. PIA is also facing a six months ban from the European Union and a suspension on all types of flights from the United States.
The cost of a return flight from London, Manchester, and Birmingham to Lahore, Islamabad, and Karachi was previously £500-650 (Rs 105053-136568), but after PIA was barred from operating by the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority, ticket prices have tripled and are now £1,500-2,700 (Rs 315,158-567,284), according to a report in Geo News.
According to Skyscanner, a major travel website, the cheapest return ticket from London to Lahore is being offered by Turkish Airlines which costs a whopping £1,445 (almost Rs300,000). British Airways, which just started operating in Pakistan, is offering the same flight for over £2,000 that would cost the passenger over Rs400,000.
The return tickets from the UK to Pakistan offered by Qatar Airways and Emirates cost over £2,500 (Rs 525,262) which is a record price for a return ticket. Another flight by Qatar Airways and British Airways costs £2,796 (587,453).
This price hike came after Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan claimed that around one-third of Pakistani pilots had allegedly fake licenses. The news created panic across the world, leading to a ban on PIA by certain states and countries.
