Ground staff stand next to the Pakistan International Airline (PIA) aircraft ahead of its takeoff for Paris at the Islamabad International Airport on Jan 10, 2025.
AFP
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) resumed flight operations to Europe on Friday after a suspension of over four years. The inaugural flight departed from Islamabad International Airport at 12:10 p.m., utilizing a Boeing 777 (AP-BGK) aircraft. It carried 330 passengers and 14 crew members.
The ceremony at the airport marked a historic moment for the loss-making airline, attended by senior officials, including Aviation and Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, PIA CEO Air Vice Marshal Amir Hayat, and directors general of the Civil Aviation Authority and Pakistan Airport Authority.
“This profitable route was suspended because of a statement,” said Minister Asif, referring to remarks made in 2020 by then Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan about fake pilot licenses. “Our government, through sheer hard work, got these flights resumed in the shortest possible time.”
The minister announced twice-weekly flights to Paris, with plans to expand services to other European destinations soon.
PIA spokesman Abdullah Hafeez called the resumption a momentous occasion, highlighting Paris as the first European destination due to its importance as a major market for Pakistan. He also shared plans to resume UK operations by March or April.
The suspension of PIA’s European flights followed the 2020 revelation about fraudulent pilot licenses, which caused widespread international concern. That year, a PIA Airbus A-320 crash in Karachi killed 97 people, further damaging the airline’s reputation.
PIA crew at Islamabad airport on Jan 10, 2025.AFP
Hafeez stated that significant measures had been taken to rebuild trust with the European Union (EU), addressing safety and operational concerns. To comply with EU aviation standards, the Boeing 777 used for the Paris route has been upgraded.
The aircraft featured special decorations to commemorate the relaunch, including a model of the Eiffel Tower on its tail and the slogan “I Love Paris” on the nose.
The relaunch comes amid ongoing efforts to privatize PIA under the Pakistani government’s plan to comply with International Monetary Fund (IMF) directives.
With the successful return to Europe, PIA aims to rebuild its reputation and expand its global operations, focusing on safety and service quality.
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