PIA flights to Europe to be restored soon: NA told

ISLAMABAD: The Minister of State for Finance and Revenue Ali Pervaiz Malik informed the National Assembly (NA) on Friday that Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flights to Europe were expected to be restored soon, ARY News reported.

Responding to a calling attention notice regarding the ban on PIA flights by the UK and the European Union, he said,” A detailed action plan from Pakistan has been dispatched to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the verification process is currently underway.”

“We hope that the verification process will be completed within two to three months and flights to Europe will be restored,” he added.

The minister said that the European Commission Air Safety Commission delisted Pakistan from its concern list on May 14, describing this as a positive development.

Earlier sources revealed that the European Air Safety Committee is set to approve the renewal of PIA and Vision Air flights’ Third Country Operators’ Permits next month.

READ: Europe to lift ban on PIA, Vision Air flights next month

The European Commission and European Aviation Safety Agency (IASA) forwarded the decision – related to the flight ban of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) in Europe – to the European Air Safety Committee.

The European Commission spokesperson, Deborah Almerge, emphasized that there are no restrictions on other Pakistani airlines in European countries.

She further clarified that the ban on PIA and Air Vision was not imposed due to their addition in the European Air Safety List, but rather due to safety concerns related to the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority.

It is pertinent to mention here that after the pilots’ license scandal, the European Aviation Agency had imposed a ban on all Pakistani airlines in July 2020.