Flight ban no more

The UK's decision to remove Pakistan from its Air Safety List this week is a rare bright light in the aviation sector, especially relating to PIA, which was the only local airline still operating regular flights to the UK when the ban was imposed in 2020. The move will be a massive windfall for PIA, which was unable to capitalise on lucrative UK routes, losing customers to Middle Eastern competitors and later, British Airways.

The success of the latter shows that despite the high quality of service and relatively low prices of the Middle Eastern giants, there is still a significant market for direct flights. Indeed, prior to the shutdown, the UK routes were consistently among PIA's busiest and most lucrative flights.

The ban's origins were steeped in tragedy - the 2020 PIA crash in Karachi that killed 98 people, followed by the claims of then-aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan that nearly one-third of Pakistani pilots held dubious licences. But although over 150 pilots were grounded for various licensing discrepancies, investigations cleared all except seven pilots who were then terminated.

The damage though had already been done, and it took four years for the EU to withdraw their ban last year - leading to the resumption of flights to Paris and the possibility of addition of other EU routes - and even longer for the UK ban to be withdrawn. The government is also eyeing restarting PIA flights to New York, and although this proposal still appears to be in its infancy, it helps make PIA all the more appealing to any potential suitors.

From a consumer perspective, the approval will probably not have an effect for several weeks, at the minimum, as re-authorisation of PIA's routes and reallocation of aeroplanes will take time. Other airlines will likely have to acquire additional long-haul aircraft if they want to start their own flights, which would take even longer and be more costly to set up. Still, the UK remains one of the most popular routes for expats and Pakistani tourists, and more competition on direct routes will benefit consumers, while also helping well-run local airlines grow.