European aviation watchdog lifts ban on PIA for Europe flights: Pak minister Khawaja Asif

Islamabad: The European aviation watchdog has lifted the ban on Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), the country’s national flag carrier, for flights to Europe, a minister said on Friday. The ban was imposed on the PIA in 2020 due to safety concerns in the wake of an air crash in Karachi which left nearly 100 people dead.

Aviation Minister Khawaja Asif said the European Commission and European Aviation Safety Agency “lifted the ban”, terming the development as a huge success for Pakistan.

“It is a momentous day to announce that the European Commission and EASA have lifted the suspension on PIA flights to Europe,” he said in a post on X.

Asif said the development was made possible due to the aviation ministry’s “complete focus” on strengthening the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) and ensuring safety oversight in line with the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

“Our government has taken significant measures to strengthen PCAA, including enactment of PCAA Act, smooth segregation of regulator and service providers, the appointment of professional leadership and training to build capacity.

“I am grateful to the European Commission and EASA for conducting a transparent process and our commitment to ensure aviation safety in Pakistan.” The ban was imposed after then aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan in a controversial statement soon after the crash spoke about the authenticity of most of the Pakistani pilots, prompting the EASA to ban the airline from its most lucrative routes in Europe and Britain.

Pakistan is trying to privatise the airline and the restoration of flights to Europe is expected to help the authorities offload the PIA.