- PIA’s authorization to operate in the EU was suspended in June 2020.
- The ban cost the loss-making airline Rs 40 billion.
- PIA will contact Great Britain to obtain authorization to resume its routes: spox.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) said on Friday it would resume flights to Europe in January, starting with Paris, after the European aviation regulator lifted the ban on the national airline.
PIA’s authorization to operate in the EU was suspended in June 2020 due to concerns about the ability of Pakistani authorities and its civil aviation authority to ensure compliance with international aviation standards.
“We have got approval for the schedule of the first flight that we had submitted,” PIA spokesperson Abdullah Hafeez Khan said, adding that the airline would open bookings on December 9 for its scheduled flight on January 10. a Boeing 777 bound for Paris.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency and Britain suspended PIA’s authorization to operate in the region after Pakistan began investigating a scandal over the validity of pilot licenses at the following a plane crash that killed 97 people.
PIA will soon approach the UK Department for Transport (DfT) for permission to resume its routes to the UK, Khan said.
Once authorized by the DfT, London, Manchester and Birmingham would be the most sought-after destinations, he added.
The ban costs the loss-making airline 40 billion rupees ($144 million) in annual revenue.
PIA has 23% of Pakistan’s domestic aviation market, but its fleet of 34 aircraft cannot compete with Middle Eastern carriers which hold 60%, due to lack of direct flights, despite agreements with 87 countries and key landing slots.
Pakistan’s attempt to privatize PIA failed when it received only one offer, well below the asking price.