Pakistan to wait for Europe flights

EASA refers matter to TCO board that will make final decision after a week

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan’s plans to resume direct flights to Europe have been delayed for another week, as the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has not yet decided to lift the travel restrictions imposed on the country.

The case of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and other domestic operators has been referred to the Third Country Operators (TCO) board. Sources indicate that following the EASA review board meeting on May 13, Pakistan's name was removed from the list of banned countries.However, the sanctions against Pakistan are still under review. The matter has been referred to the TCO board, which will make a final decision during its meeting next Saturday. As a result, PIA and other Pakistani air carriers were not included in the updated TCO list.

The sources said officials of the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) would participate in the TCO board huddle. The EASA has officially informed the CAA about the development.

According to aviation ministry sources, the PIA’s name is neither in the TCO list, nor in the one for restricted airlines.

After the matter was referred to the TCO board, Pakistan’s name was removed from the travel ban list.

Read Direct flights to UK may resume soon

However, the aviation ministry sources said it was premature to say that the ban on Pakistan had been lifted.

They added that the final decision was expected next week.

The PIA landed in hot water with a ban by EASA in the wake of its flight PK-8303 crashing in Karachi on May 22, 2020, and the subsequent announcement by then aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan of the grounding of 262 airline pilots suspected of dodging their exams.

As the authorities take strides towards privatisation of the PIA, Pakistan has set its sights on securing clearance from the EASA in a bid to lure top-notch bids for the national carrier.

The ban's bite has cost the PIA a hefty Rs40 billion annually, as per official figures disclosed in parliament.

In November last year, an EASA team had visited Pakistan to assess various aspects of the CAA and PIA, including licensing, flight safety, flight standards, and airworthiness.

Pakistan was certain that the EASA would lift its ban in the month of May after its safety review board meeting as the CAA had fulfilled all the requirements of the agency.

However, Pakistan will have to wait for a week to find out what lies ahead for the PIA and other domestic air carriers.