British Airways Resuming Flights To Pakistan

This one has been rumoured for a while…

For the first time in 10 years, British Airways will operate flights to Islamabad, Pakistan, three times weekly from June 2, 2019, with the following schedule, per Airline Route:

  • BA260 London Heathrow (LHR) to Islamabad (ISB) departing 9:15PM arriving 9:25AM (+1) (Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays)
  • BA261 Islamabad to London Heathrow departing 11:10AM arriving 4:00PM (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays)

The flight will be operated by British Airways Boeing 787-8 featuring 35 business class, 25 premium economy and 154 economy seats.

It is blocked at 8 hours, 10 minutes east, and 8 hours, 50 minutes west.

British Airways Club World

This aircraft does not feature first class, and of all the aircraft in their fleet this is the ideal plane (and configuration) to operate this ‘long(ish), thin’ route of 3,778 miles.

The only carrier currently operating this route non stop is PIA, which operates the route with a Boeing 777. We criticise British Airways business class regularly here at OMAAT, but from reading Ben’s review of PIA business class I think the BA option is the better choice of the two carriers!

PIA 777 business class
PIA 777 business class

British Airways is good at releasing premium award seats on new routes, and the flights have been loaded, so I can see four economy and two business class award seats available on most flights already (which British Airways guarantees on all flights).

Bottom line

I think this route will do well for British Airways.

They’re recommencing it with the right aircraft and frequency. The UK is home to the largest Pakistani community in Europe, so there should be plenty of demand for a non stop flight and the current competition’s product isn’t difficult to beat.

I wouldn’t be surprised to eventually see them also launch flights to Karachi and/or Lahore.

What do you make of British Airways returning to Pakistan?

Conversations (38)
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KARACHIWALEY Guest

Credit is living in huge complex every one know what happen to Karachi in all sector from tourist to business from ordinary man to hit profile personality how is doing what from shifting capital to nationalized from ethnic violence to street crime there is office cell organisation to monitor each an every thing on Karachi from biggest country to small from official to other ho moniter there should not done anything good in Karachi in all expect of life Pakistan made by a Karachi citizen Karachi made my parsies how give averness to un educated migrated population or living before even how set hair to how to dress how to eat and when come to business how what is a business awareness ethics of business especially hospitality hotel and airline business how order and cut all airlines from karachi and then only those airline give permission ho agree to come to Rawalpindi or Lahore ho make dry port in varies part of panjab ho make pipeline of oil from Karachi to panjab ho make and try to successful stock exchange in Lahore and pindi when not success then change the name of Karachi stock exchange to Pakistan no one nos how karachi road electric water savage infrastructure is and from 94 to 96 plane ethnic problem create in Karachi then all the foreigner ho live business or tourist left Pakistan or Karachi why how make new infrastructure made after 96 of Lahore ho work on it every thing is planed when those are three justice for Karachi is dream or hope or pray you all are main sponser for that

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Credit Guest

Pakistan is the Nigeria of Asia, but there is no way a company like BA would start operations without being sure it was safe for employees, equipment and passengers. Also - this is Islamabad, not Karachi.

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LM Guest

This route would definitely work. People mostly take PIA because of it's nonstop convenience. If BA operates the same route, people will fly them. If people are willing to do 1 stop then they take the Gulf Carriers. That's why the ME3 have so many frequencies to the Indian subcontinent. If PIA was like Lufthansa or even BA, then the ME3 would lose many customers. I heard once that like 1/3 of Emirates passengers are going to or from the Indian Subcontinent. If there are many direct flights though, then the gulf carriers would be significantly smaller.

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rc Guest

the terrorist express now boarding at gate 69....

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BA GGL Guest

I love the way people who've never been to Islamabad (or perhaps not even anywhere in South Asia) have an automatic assumption that it's unsafe. It's actually pretty safe in my experience. Statistically over the past few years, you are more likely to have been killed by terrorists in any of Pittsburgh, Las Vegas, Orlando, Santa Fe etc than in Islamabad, but I don't see any of the above posters saying "I wouldn't go to Vegas". [And yes, the full stop is after the inverted commas, because that's how English language grammar works]

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