PIA gets permission to resume flights to Europe

 Sunday 1 December 2024

Islamabad (News International / Pakistan News - 1st December, 2024 ) Pakistan International Airlines said on Sunday, 1st December, that it expects to resume its flights on European routes very soon, including several destinations within the UK.

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The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) had banned PIA flights to Europe in 2020, expressing doubts about the ability of Pakistani authorities and Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority to ensure international flight standards.

One reason for this was the investigation after a PIA plane crashed in Karachi, in which it was found that several pilots’ licenses were fake.

97 people died in this accident.

“PIA will approach the UK’s Department of Transport to resume its routes, as the decision required clearance from EASA,” PI spokesman Abdullah Hafeez Khan told Reuters.

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According to Abdullah Hafeez Khan, the airline hopes that the resumption of flights in Europe will begin with the resumption of flights to Paris in the next three to four weeks. He also said that after getting permission from the British authorities, PIA’s priority will be to resume flights to London, Manchester and Birmingham.

PIA and the Pakistani government had requested the European Aviation Safety Agency to lift the ban on it, as the ban was causing it a loss of 40 billion rupees annually.

This amount is equivalent to $144 million.

It should be noted that the Pakistani government intends to sell 60 percent of the shares of the national flag carrier, but it has not yet received a suitable bid for it.

A PIA spokesperson expressed hope that the airline's value would increase after the resumption of flights to European destinations and the privatization process would be facilitated.