Deputy Prime Minister says government engaged with UK authorities to lift PIA ban
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar announced on Saturday that Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs is "actively engaged" with UK authorities to have the ban on Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flights lifted. Dar made the statement during a meeting with PIA's CEO, Air Vice Marshal Amir Hayat, who had requested fresh diplomatic support to resolve the longstanding flight ban issue.
Hayat thanked the foreign minister
for his continued efforts to facilitate the removal of the ban on PIA’s flights
to various countries. He highlighted that the compliance work initiated under
the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government in 2022-2023 had enabled both
PIA and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to meet the standards set by
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) auditors. This paved the way
for the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to lift its suspension of
PIA in November 2024.
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aviation authority considering to lift ban on Pakistan flights
The suspension of PIA’s flights to
the UK and Europe dates back to June 2020 after then aviation minister revealed
in parliament that around one-third of Pakistan's commercial pilots had
“dubious” licenses. This disclosure came in the wake of the May 22, 2020, crash
of Flight PK8303 in Karachi, which claimed 97 lives. Following this, the UK
Civil Aviation Authority suspended PIA’s operating permit on June 30, 2020, a
decision that mirrored EASA’s action.
The regulatory bodies cited systemic
issues in licensing oversight and safety management as the reasons for the
suspension. This grounding deprived PIA of one of its most profitable long-haul
markets, resulting in an estimated loss of nearly 40 billion rupees annually in
revenue, according to government records presented in parliament.
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More EASA
to review Pakistan flight ban in November
After three years of remedial
efforts, including pilot re-credentialing and overhauling safety protocols,
EASA reinstated PIA's Third-Country Operator (TCO) authorization on November
29, 2024. Earlier this year, PIA resumed flights to Paris and plans to expand
its European destinations this summer.
Source: Dawn