Pakistan’s aviation sector has reached a pivotal moment as the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has moved to lift the ban on the country’s airlines, setting the stage for their potential return to European skies, according to a report by The News on Monday.
The decision by the European Commission and the EASA has now been submitted to the European Air Safety Committee for final approval, sources disclosed to the publication.
This promising development occurred shortly after a high-level delegation from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), led by the CAA Director-General, traveled to Europe to discuss the steps taken towards reinstating Pakistani airlines’ operations in Europe.
In a related move, another delegation headed by the aviation division secretary is set to depart for Brussels today to participate in the European Air Safety Committee meetings scheduled from May 14 to 16.
It’s important to recall that European authorities initially imposed a ban on Pakistani airline operations in July 2020 following revelations that pilots held “fake” licenses, as stated by the then aviation minister, Ghulam Sarwar.
The ban dealt a significant setback to the airlines, which were already facing international scrutiny due to these and other issues within Pakistan’s aviation sector, including the falsification of pilot licenses.
These issues were highlighted when the aviation minister released an interim report on the investigation of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) PK-8303 crash in Karachi on May 22, 2020, which claimed the lives of 85 passengers.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) subsequently voiced concerns over serious lapses in licensing and safety oversight by the aviation regulator.
On June 24, the aviation minister declared that 262 pilots had “dubious” credentials, leading to their suspension from flying duties. This included 141 pilots from PIA, nine from Air Blue, and 10 from Serene Airline, along with others affiliated with flying clubs or chartered plane services.
The lifting of the EASA ban signals a prospective reissuance of third-country operator licenses for PIA and Vision Airlines, although the focus during the upcoming meeting will primarily be on these carriers.
While restrictions on all other Pakistani airlines have been removed, an EC spokesperson confirmed that no current bans are in place against other airlines from Pakistan in European countries.
EASA licenses are significant as they are recognized not only within EU member states but also in many other nations globally.
Although a PIA spokesperson was not fully aware of the recent progress, they expressed appreciation for the potential positive outcome and emphasized the importance of waiting for the decisions from the upcoming committee meeting.
