Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Friday resumed its direct flights to Paris after a suspension of over four years.

The first flight, PK-749, took off from Islamabad International Airport (IIAP) on Friday at 12:10 with a Boeing 777 (AP-BGK) aircraft. The plane had 330 passengers and 14 crew members.

Several senior officials including Aviation Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, PIA CEO Air Vice Marshal Amir Hayat and the Directors General of Civil Aviation Authority and Pakistan Airport Authority attended the inaugural flight ceremony.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Khawaja Asif lauded the efforts of PIA and Civil Aviation to make the European flights possible. He expressed gratitude to EU aviation officials for evaluating Pakistan’s standards.

The minister acknowledged that PIA has incurred significant losses amounting to hundreds of billions over the past four and a half years and currently has a debt of 800 billion rupees while profitable routes remain closed.

Khawaja Asif also criticized the former aviation minister’s statement, saying it caused extensive damage to the aviation sector. He pointed out that for the last four and a half years, Pakistanis were forced to travel abroad at high cost.

Expressing pride in Pakistan’s ability to meet international standards, he announced that PIA will soon begin flight operations to the United Kingdom.

It should be noted that the airline has launched the route with a special livery, with a model of the Eiffel Tower on the tail and the slogan “I Love Paris” on the nose. The Boeing 777 has been refurbished to meet EU aviation standards.

PIA plans to fly direct between Islamabad and Paris twice a week, on Fridays and Sundays. The airline has reported strong demand, with the first two flights already fully booked. The route is expected to continue to attract significant demand, particularly from the Pakistani community in France.

To enhance the in-flight experience, PIA has introduced a wireless entertainment system that allows passengers to use their own devices to access media.

The resumption of the Islamabad-Paris route follows the European Aviation Safety Agency’s (EASA) recent decision to lift the ban on Pakistani airlines flying to EU countries. The ban had been in place for over four years but was lifted, allowing PIA to resume services to Europe and the UK.