ISLAMABAD: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) announced it will restart flights to Europe in January, beginning with Paris, following the EU aviation regulator’s decision to lift the ban on the national flag carrier.
As per report, PIA authorization to operate in the EU was suspended in June 2020 due to concerns about the ability of Pakistani authorities and the Civil Aviation Authority to uphold international aviation standards.
“We have received approval for the first flight schedule we submitted,” said PIA spokesperson Abdullah Hafeez Khan, adding that the airline will open bookings on December 9 for its planned January 10 Boeing 777 flight to Paris.
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The European Union Aviation Safety Agency and Britain suspended PIA’s operating permission in the region after Pakistan launched an investigation into a scandal involving the validity of pilots’ licenses following a plane crash that claimed 97 lives.
PIA will soon seek permission from Britain’s Department for Transport (DfT) to resume routes to the UK, Khan said.
Once approved by the DfT, London, Manchester, and Birmingham would be the most in-demand destinations, he added. The ban cost the struggling airline 40 billion rupees ($144 million) in annual revenue.
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PIA holds 23% of Pakistan’s domestic aviation market, but its 34-plane fleet struggles to compete with Middle Eastern carriers, which control 60%, due to a lack of direct flights, despite having agreements with 87 countries and key landing slots.
On the other hand, PIA has named one of the company’s senior executives as acting CEO as it prepares for the resumption of European flights following the lifting of the ban.
PIA’s spokesperson stated that the airline expects to resume flights to Europe, starting with Paris, within the next three to four weeks, after the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) lifted its ban.
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The airline needs to appoint a permanent CEO. In the interim, it issued a statement saying Khurram Mushtaq, previously head of PIA’s Commercial, Airport Services, Flight Services, Security, and Vigilance departments, would “take charge of the office after the tenure of Air Vice Marshal Amir Hayat ends.” It did not specify when that would be.
