Pakistan's Minister for Aviation and Defence, Khawaja Asif, announced on Friday that the European Commission and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) have lifted the suspension on the country's national carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), flights to Europe.
The suspension was imposed in 2020 following a tragic PIA plane crash in Karachi that claimed nearly 100 lives and a subsequent fake pilot license scandal. This led to a ban on the airline’s operations on its routes in Europe and Britain.
Taking to his official X account, the minister described the development as "a historic day for Pakistan’s aviation industry."
“With the lifting of the suspension and the granting of TCO [Third Country Operator] authorization to Airblue, we have proven our commitment to international safety standards,” Asif stated.
Snapshot of tweet of Minister for Aviation and Defence Khawaja AsifX
Praising the efforts of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led government in advancing the aviation sector, he added, “Our government has worked tirelessly to ensure the security and reliability of our aviation sector.”
According to Asif, this decision reflects the Aviation Ministry’s success in strengthening the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) and aligning its safety practices with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards.
Key reforms include the enactment of the PCAA Act, the segregation of regulatory and service-provider functions, and the appointment of professional leadership.
In addition to PIA, the privately owned airline Airblue Limited has also been granted TCO authorization, enabling both airlines to resume operations in European airspace.
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