\u201cI am grateful to European Commission and EASA for conducting a transparent process,\u201d says aviation minister
\n Islamabad
\nThe 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.
\nMaking an announcement via an X post on Friday, Asif \u2014 who also holds portfolio of aviation minister \u2014 wrote: \u201cIt is a momentous day to announce that the European Commission and the EASA have lifted the suspension on PIA flights to Europe.\u201d
\n\u201cNot only this, TCO [Third Country Operators] authorisation has also been issued to the second Pakistani airline \u2014 Airblue Limited,\u201d he added.
\n\u201cIt 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.\u201d
\nGiving credit to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government, Asif said: \u201cOur 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.\u201d
\nHe thanked the European Commission and the EASA for conducting a transparent process and our commitment to ensure aviation safety in Pakistan.
\nSpeaking to Geo News, the minister said that the \u201clifting of suspension\u201d would help in privatisation of the loss-making national carrier.
\nAfter the fresh development, PIA\u2019s flight operations to the EU would be restored soon, he said.
\nIt 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\u2019s minimum asking price of Rs85 billion ($304 million).
\nOffering Rs10 billion ($35.8 million) for a 60% stake in PIA, the sole bidder flatly refused further negotiations.
\nLater, the Privatisation Commission Board dismissed the sole bid of Rs10b, emphasising the need to refine terms to attract investors while minimising the airline\u2019s liabilities. The airline is currently saddled with approximately Rs200 billion in liabilities.
\nResponding to a question, Asif said that the PIA\u2019s rating has improved and hoped the UK and other countries would also lift their restrictions on the national flag carrier.
\nReacting to the EASA\u2019s decision, a spokesperson of the PIA said: \u201cWe have achieved this key milestone after tireless efforts of four years.\u201d
\nThe nationals would be able to travel to European sectors via direct flights again, the airline announced.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cI am grateful to European Commission and EASA for conducting a transparent process,\u201d 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":283407,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-446445","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n