Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) expects to resume its European flights soon and is eyeing several UK destinations after the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) lifted its suspension on the national carrier, as reported by Reuters in a conversation with PIA spokesperson Abdullah Hafeez. Khan. .
Khan stated that the airline plans to approach the UK Department for Transport (DfT) to resume the route, stating that EASA clearance is a prerequisite for their decision.
The ban, imposed in 2020, followed a devastating PIA plane crash in Karachi that killed nearly 100 people and exposed a scandal involving fake pilot licences. As a result, the European Aviation Safety Agency banned PIA from operating its most profitable routes in Europe and the UK, costing the airline an estimated annual revenue of 40 billion rupees.
“The suspension resulted in a loss of about 40 billion rupees ($144 million) in revenue annually,” Khan said. “The main reason for this is an investigation into the validity of pilots’ licenses following a fatal accident that claimed 97 lives, which prompted the European Aviation Safety Agency and UK authorities to suspend our operations.”
Khan also revealed that PIA aims to resume its flights to Europe within three to four weeks, with Paris as the starting point. He added: “Once the UK routes are approved, our priority destinations will be London, Manchester and Birmingham.”
According to Khan, PIA has enough cash flow to add new routes, and decisions on leasing new aircraft will follow once the government concludes privatization discussions. Despite a 23% share in Pakistan’s domestic aviation market, PIA’s fleet of 34 aircraft cannot compete with Middle Eastern airlines that control 60% of the market.
“Although we have agreements with 87 countries and major landing slots, the lack of direct flights has limited our growth potential,” Khan said.