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PIA Resumes Direct Flights to Europe After EU Lifts Ban

PIA resumes direct flights to Europe after the EU lifts a 4-year safety ban, marking a significant recovery for the airline's operations. [Image via AP]

State-run Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) resumed direct flights to Europe on Friday following a decision by the European Union’s aviation safety agency to lift a four-year ban over safety standards, officials said.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif welcomed the resumption of flights to Europe, saying it would help improve the image of PIA.

Also See: What PIA Privatisation Means for Pakistan’s Economy and Identity

The airline said that more than 300 passengers fully booked the flight from Islamabad to Paris

Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif inaugurated the twice-a-week flights. He vowed that PIA will soon expand its operations to other European countries.

Asif said in a speech that the European Union Aviation Safety Agency had imposed the ban on PIA’s operations to Europe because of an “irresponsible statement” by a former aviation minister.

In 2020, authorities imposed the curb on PIA after a plane crashed in Karachi, southern Pakistan, killing 97 people. Then-Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan said an investigation into the crash found that nearly a third of Pakistani pilots had cheated on their pilot’s exams. A government probe later concluded that pilot error caused the crash.

The ban caused a loss of nearly $150 million a year in revenue for PIA, officials say.

This news is sourced from AP News and is intended for informational purposes only.

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