Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is edging its way back to recommencing operations to European airports, according to several recent reports. The carrier was placed on an EU blacklist in 2020 following the discovery of numerous safety failures at the carrier, including the employment of unlicensed pilots
During a recent audit performed at the company by the EU Air Safety Committee in November 2023, it is understood the inspectors critically re-examined the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority’s role in safety oversight abut identified multiple areas of concern. These included deviations from established safety procedures and significant understaffing in the Flight Standards Directorate, despite the authority being staffed by technically skilled professionals.
As a result of the findings from that audit, the European Union Commission decided in June 2024 to continue restrictions imposed on the carrier as well as other Pakistan-based airlines, from being permitted to fly to airports within Europe.
Following the review, the Committee determined that there were insufficient grounds to amend the current list of air carriers prohibited from operating within the EU. The decision had been keenly awaited by the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA), who had been expecting PIA to be cleared to resume flights to EU airports following the audit.
However, the government of Pakistan is now said to be lobbying hard once more to restore the permissions required for PIA to return to airports in the UK and Europe as the airline moves closer to a proposed privatization.
According to the View from the Wing website, airline sources have advised that “multiple technical sessions have been conducted in the past two days between CAA and EU officials. These online sessions lasted for several hours, focusing on the steps required to lift the ban on PIA flights in Europe and the UK,” state the sources.
According to the carrier, the CAA officials have “shared progress reports, stressing that all the targets set by the EU and UK have been met, and urged the authorities to allow PIA’s resumption in these regions”.
Given this to be the case, the airline appears to believe that the lifting of the no-fly ban is imminent and allegedly has issued tenders for inflight catering companies serving the UK’s Manchester (MAN) and Birmingham (BHX) airports to submit proposals for when operations resume. Both stations were major international destinations and large revenue generators for PIA, with both UK cities being the home to sizeable Pakistani diasporas.
Allowing European flights is seen as vital to breathe new life back into the flag carrier, which has been struggling since the EU flight ban was imposed in 2020. Such a move would also boost the country’s economy, as more travelers would potentially visit the country were PIA permitted to operate to Europe.
The original ban was ordered by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which cited serious safety concerns following the fatal crash of PIA flight PK8303, operated by an Airbus A320 in Karachi on May 22, 2020. The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority quickly followed suit with a similar ban, while the US Federal Aviation Administration also downgraded Pakistan’s aviation safety status following the EASA concerns.
