Business Desk 
Dec 02, 2024
Following an approval by the EU aviation regulator a week earlier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) said on Sunday that it hopes to resume flights to European routes soon and is eyeing several UK destinations.
The flag carrier was suspended from operating in the EU in June 2020 by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for concerns regarding the ability of Pakistani authorities and its Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) to comply with international aviation standards.
“PIA plans to approach the UK’s Department for Transport (DfT) for UK route resumption, as EASA clearance is a prerequisite for their decision,” The News quoted PIA spokesman Abdullah Hafeez Khan.
The suspension by EASA and UK authorities for PIA to fly in the region also followed the country probing the validity of pilots’ licenses after 97 people were killed in a plane crash in Karachi, Pakistan.
PIA is looking to resume flights to Europe, starting with Paris, within the next three to four weeks, the spokesperson said.
London, Manchester, and Birmingham are likely to be the most sought-after destinations once PIA gets approval for UK flights, said Khan.
Willing to sell a 60% stake in the national carrier, the Pakistan government alongside PIA called on EASA to lift the ban, even provisionally, which led to an annual loss of Rs40 billion rupees ($144 million) annually in revenue for Pakistan.
