Key points
- PIA awaiting clearance from UK’s aviation safety agency
- The airline will operate Boeing Triple Seven aircraft
- Arrangements are being finalised at British airports
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is set to resume flight operations to the UK after a 4.5-year hiatus.
Pakistan’s national flag carrier endured severe financial losses after its operations to Europe were halted due to safety concerns.
In 2020, a sitting Pakistani minister alleged that PIA pilots held fake degrees and suspicious licenses, leading to the European Union (EU) and the UK suspending PIA operations.
As a result, the US aviation agency also downgraded Pakistan’s safety rating, causing 150 PIA pilots to be grounded and Pakistani pilots working abroad to face professional and financial hardships.
Preparations
According to Samaa News, the airline has completed preparations for flights from Islamabad to Manchester and is awaiting clearance from the UK’s safety agency.
PIA will operate Boeing Triple Seven aircraft, and arrangements are being finalised at British airports.
A meeting on March 15 is expected to grant permission for flight operations.
Shares plummeted
PIA’s market share plummeted from 50 per cent to 20 per cent, while Gulf and UAE airlines gained a larger share due to additional facilities granted under bilateral agreements.
Last year, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar informed the Senate that PIA’s flights to the UK were likely to resume within two to three months.
Replying to a calling attention notice raised by Senator Sherry Rehman about the grounding of PIA aircraft in the context of an unclear privatisation plan, the minister said all-out efforts were being made for the resumption of PIA’s flight to the UK.
A UK aviation team would visit Pakistan by the end of January for a physical examination in this regard, he had told at the time.
