Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to help increase the number of direct flights between the UK and Pakistan.

Air services between the United Kingdom and other countries are governed by a portfolio of bilateral air services agreements, which set the framework in which airlines from both countries operate. Our agreement with Pakistan does not place any restrictions on the frequency or nature of direct air services. Any airline from the UK or Pakistan, designated under this agreement, can operate between any points in the two countries.

However, it is for individual airlines to determine whether to take advantage of the rights and routes available to them within any air services agreement. Market conditions, such as the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, often affect the commercial considerations of airlines.

My Department’s officials and the Civil Aviation Authority stand ready to assist any UK or Pakistan airline which wants to operate between the two countries.