Pakistan: PIA Flight Departs For Paris After EU Lifts 4-Year Ban

2025-01-10 04:41:08

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Pakistan's state-owned airline, plagued by a history of deadly crashes and a pilot licence scandal, resumed flights to Europe on Friday after a four-year ban was lifted by EU regulators

The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight took off from Islamabad airport around 1240pm (0740 GMT) heading for Paris, AFP journalists saw, becoming the only carrier to offer a direct route to and from the EU.

PIA's authorisation to operate in the EU was suspended in June 2020 over concerns about the ability of Pakistani authorities and its Civil Aviation Authority to ensure compliance with international aviation standards.

The ban was put in place a month after one of its aircraft plunged into a street in the southern city of Karachi, killing nearly 100 people.

The disaster was attributed to human error by the pilots and air traffic control, and was followed by allegations that nearly a third of the licences for its pilots were fake or dubious.

The airline remains banned from operating in the US.

After Europe's ban was lifted in December 2024, a spokesman for the carrier said they would "strictly adhere to EASA's regulations and guidelines", referring to the EU's aviation authority.

(With inputs from Reuters)

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