LONDON: The UK Air Safety Committee is scheduled to hold a critical meeting on March 20 to review the five-year-long ban imposed on Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and other Pakistani carriers, according to officials from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
The committee will evaluate Pakistan’s case and deliberate on the possibility of lifting the restrictions, initially enforced in July 2020 by the UK and European Union aviation regulators following the revelation of a fake pilot licence scandal.
The ban was introduced after then-aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan disclosed that several Pakistani pilots held dubious credentials. His comments followed the tragic PIA Airbus A320 crash in Karachi, which claimed nearly 100 lives.
As a result, PIA was barred from operating flights to the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The suspension significantly impacted the debt-ridden airline, causing an estimated annual revenue loss of Rs40 billion ($144 million).
Despite the setback, Pakistani authorities are optimistic ahead of tomorrow’s review. The CAA has implemented a series of reforms to improve licensing processes and safety oversight, aiming to restore international confidence.
In January 2025, PIA resumed its long-awaited direct flights to Europe, operating its first Islamabad-to-Paris flight after a years-long hiatus.
Anticipating a favorable decision, PIA spokesperson Abdullah Hafeez Khan stated that, once cleared by the UK Department for Transport (DfT), the airline plans to focus on routes to London, Manchester, and Birmingham — traditionally among its most lucrative destinations.
Currently, PIA holds 23% of Pakistan’s domestic aviation market. However, its 34-plane fleet struggles to compete with major Middle Eastern carriers that dominate 60% of the international market due to their extensive networks and direct flights, despite PIA having agreements with 87 countries and securing key landing slots.
