Pakistan awaits EASA verification action plan

The Minister of State for Finance and Revenue Ali Pervaiz Malik informed the National Assembly (NA) on Friday that Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flights to Europe were expected to be restored soon.

Responding to a calling attention notice regarding the ban on PIA flights by the UK and the European Union, he said, “A detailed action plan from Pakistan has been dispatched to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the verification process is currently underway.”

“We hope that the verification process will be completed within two to three months and flights to Europe will be restored,” he added.

The minister said that the European Commission Air Safety Commission delisted Pakistan from its concern list on May 14, describing this as a positive development.

In March, a four-member team of auditors from the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) made an assessment of Pakistan’s aviation security systems,

The team of international auditors, led by Oscar Annabel Rubio, had arrived at Karachi on Feb 18 to conduct its 10-day full-scale audit. The audit, which aimed at enhancing the standards of aviation security through a process of regular evaluation and oversight mechanism, was completed on Feb 27.

The visiting team was provided an overview of the full-scale audit and congratulated the authority’s director general on the significant improvements made, particularly following the recent enactment of the CAA Act 2023.

During the assessment, the audit team primarily focused on evaluating the CAA Aviation Security Directorate for five days. Subsequently, for the following four days, they examined the implementation of security protocols in various aviation security areas at Jinnah International Airport, including the airport itself, the Airport Security Force (ASF), domestic and international airlines, cargo companies, ground handling companies, catering companies, etc.

Additionally, the team visited the Passport Office and received a briefing, and expressed their satisfaction with what they observed. They also interacted with the FIA immigration staff and reviewed their procedures.

This comprehensive assessment took place after 2019, which was not a full-scale audit.