State-run Pakistan International Airlines resumes direct flights to Europe after EU lifts ban

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) resumed direct flights to Europe on Friday after the European Union Aviation Safety Agency lifted a four-year ban imposed due to safety standard concerns. This move marks the airline's re-entry into the European market and is expected to improve its international image.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif welcomed the resumption of flights, believing it will help enhance the airline's image. The first flight from Islamabad to Paris was fully booked, carrying over 300 passengers. Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif inaugurated the twice-weekly flights and pledged that PIA would soon expand its operations to other European countries.

In his remarks, Asif noted that the EU Aviation Safety Agency had previously imposed the ban on PIA due to "irresponsible statements" by a former aviation minister. The ban was implemented in 2020 after a PIA plane crashed in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi, killing 97 people. The then-Aviation Minister, Ghulam Sarwar Khan, stated that investigations into the accident found that nearly a third of Pakistani pilots had cheated on their pilot exams. However, a later government investigation concluded that the crash was caused by pilot error.

According to officials, the ban cost PIA nearly $150 million in annual revenue. Additionally, on Friday, the first international flight from the new airport in Gwadar, southwestern Pakistan, departed for Muscat. The Chinese-funded airport was inaugurated last October by Chinese Premier Li Qiang. The airport, the largest in Pakistan, is located in the volatile Balochistan province and is part of China’s massive investment in the region aimed at connecting the deep-water port and airport on the Arabian Sea with China via roads.