“I am grateful to European Commission and EASA for conducting a transparent process,” says aviation minister
Islamabad
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has lifted ban on the flights of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flights to Europe after a gap of nearly fours, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Friday.
Making an announcement via an X post on Friday, Asif — who also holds portfolio of aviation minister — wrote: “It is a momentous day to announce that the European Commission and the EASA have lifted the suspension on PIA flights to Europe.”
“Not only this, TCO [Third Country Operators] authorisation has also been issued to the second Pakistani airline — Airblue Limited,” he added.
“It is made possible due to the complete focus of Aviation Ministry to strengthen PCAA [Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority] and ensure safety oversight in line with ICAO [International Civil Aviation Organization] standards.”
Giving credit to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government, Asif said: “Our government has taken significant measures to strengthen PCAA including enactment of PCAA Act, smooth segregation of regulator and service providers, appointment of professional leadership and training to build the capacity.”
He thanked the European Commission and the EASA for conducting a transparent process and our commitment to ensure aviation safety in Pakistan.
Speaking to Geo News, the minister said that the “lifting of suspension” would help in privatisation of the loss-making national carrier.
After the fresh development, PIA’s flight operations to the EU would be restored soon, he said.
It is pertinent to mention here that the latest attempt to privatise struggling national airlines collapsed after the sole bidder, Blue World City, failed to meet the government’s minimum asking price of Rs85 billion ($304 million).
Offering Rs10 billion ($35.8 million) for a 60% stake in PIA, the sole bidder flatly refused further negotiations.
Later, the Privatisation Commission Board dismissed the sole bid of Rs10b, emphasising the need to refine terms to attract investors while minimising the airline’s liabilities. The airline is currently saddled with approximately Rs200 billion in liabilities.
Responding to a question, Asif said that the PIA’s rating has improved and hoped the UK and other countries would also lift their restrictions on the national flag carrier.
Reacting to the EASA’s decision, a spokesperson of the PIA said: “We have achieved this key milestone after tireless efforts of four years.”
The nationals would be able to travel to European sectors via direct flights again, the airline announced.
