Flights to EU

PIA’s hopes of resuming flights to several European destinations were dashed over the weekend after the EU Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) said it would have to conduct its own evaluations before allowing flight operations to resume. Earlier this month, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) had told PIA that its review of “actions and relevant evidence validated in Pakistan” had led to the determination that “Pakistan had successfully resolved” its concerns. After that announcement, PIA began listing flights to Europe on its schedule for February, expecting British and EU regulators would follow suit. This was terribly optimistic. We only need to look at the high-profile international review process for the Boeing 737 MAX, which saw every regulator take its own decisions, including rejecting or delaying approval, despite other major regulators finding the upgraded plane acceptable.

With regard to Pakistan, the major concerns of most foreign regulatory bodies were borne out of the fake pilot licence scandal that became known soon after the crash of PIA flight 8303 in Karachi in May 2020, when 97 of the 99 passengers and crew were killed. According to the EASA letter, it appears that the agency has accepted the ICAO’s findings relating to pilot licences, but added that the certification process had revealed “serious degradation of the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority’s (PCAA) certification and oversight capabilities”. EASA’s own audit will go beyond PIA or pilot licences as “deficiencies in state oversight were a contributor to the suspension decision,” and will “include an assessment to verify if these deficiencies have been properly addressed and corrected”.

EASA had also previously said that its review would require security assurances from Pakistan for its staff and would be timed after considering the Covid-19 situation, which opens the door for delays. While PIA says it is ready for an EASA review, the CAA and Islamabad have not clearly indicated this. Instead, the powers that be continue blaming an international conspiracy for the fallout of what was a very Pakistani scam.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 25^th, 2022.

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