EASA lifts ban on PIA flights to Europe

ISLAMABAD: After almost four years, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has removed the ban on Pakistan International Airlines’ (PIA) flights to Europe, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif announced on Friday.

Asif, who is also the minister of aviation, made the announcement on Friday via an X post, writing: “It is a momentous day to announce that the European Commission and the EASA have lifted the suspension on PIA flights to Europe.”

“Not only this, TCO (Third Country Operators) authorization has also been issued to the second Pakistani airline — Airblue Limited,” he stated.

“Our government has taken significant measures to strengthen Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) including enactment of the PCAA Act, smooth segregation of regulator and service providers, appointment of professional leadership, and training to build the capacity,” Asif said, praising the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government.

He expressed gratitude to the EASA and the European Commission for their transparent procedures and their dedication to ensuring Pakistani aviation safety.

Earlier, the ban operation of Pakistani airlines was implemented in July 2020 when a PIA flight crashed killing more than 100, after which Ghulam Sarwar, the aviation minister at the time, disclosed that pilots had “fake” licenses

The European authorities had initially imposed a ban on the operation of Pakistani airlines in July 2020 for six months after the then aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar revealed that pilots possessed “fake” licenses.

Citing worries about “Pakistan’s ability to ensure compliance with international aviation standards at all times,” the safety agency has continued to extend the ban on PIA flights to the bloc ever since.

The airline was already under international scrutiny because of flaws in Pakistan’s aviation sector, so the ban was a major setback.