With over 1.6 million people of Pakistani heritage in the UK making up every part of British society, we have a special and ever-growing special bond.

Hundreds of thousands of people travel between the UK and Pakistan every year, proof of the hugely significant UK-Pakistan people-to-people relationship. Air links are of vital importance for trade between the UK and Pakistan and the diaspora.

UK funding of £164,000 (60 million Rupees) has provided two state-of-the-art screening units for Karachi and Lahore airports to detect illicit items in passenger baggage. This technology will help to protect both British and Pakistani nationals travelling from Pakistan to the UK and elsewhere.

This is one small part of the UK’s ongoing aviation work with Pakistan, which is helping to raise safety and security standards.

The UK takes aviation safety very seriously. International minimum standards help ensure that air travel is safe and secure for UK and Pakistani nationals and support international aviation to flourish.

Today the British High Commissioner attended a ceremony at Karachi airport to formally hand over the scanners.

British High Commissioner Jane Marriott CMG-OBE said:

I’m delighted to handover these state-of-the-art airport security scanners here in Karachi, a demonstration of UK support for security at Pakistan’s airports.

We all want travellers to fly safely and securely, this new technology means passengers can fly with greater confidence from Pakistan.

Aviation plays a vital role in growing trade between the UK and Pakistan and enabling the diaspora to travel. Making flying safer brings the UK and Pakistan even closer together.

I want to thank the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority for arranging today’s ceremony and for the excellent cooperation we have on both aviation security and safety issues.