Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has received a green signal from U.S. officials to start direct flights to the country from May this year, the spokesman for the national flag carrier said on Wednesday. After two years of negotiations between the U.S. government and the national airline, finally, the approval was given, the spokesman added, “Originally, three flights a week will take off for New York, however with time the number will increase. Owing to security concerns, the US does not allow any direct flight that originates at a Pakistani airport into its airspace. In October 2017, the PIA discontinued its flights to the US because of rising operational cost and in a bid to cut losses it had been facing.