KARACHI: A delegation of the European Commission and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is scheduled to visit Pakistan next week, the agency’s spokesperson confirmed on Friday, raising hopes that a ban imposed on Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flights to the continent may ultimately be lifted.
The ban, instituted after the May 2020 air crash in Karachi, was linked to a licensing issue when the country’s former aviation minister, Ghulam Sarwar Khan, said over 30 percent of Pakistani pilots held “dubious” flying permits that were obtained through fraudulent means. While he later retracted the statement, EASA decided to extend the ban indefinitely.
The visit of the four-member European delegation next week will focus on the on-site assessment of the national airline, which is one of the requirements of the European Commission and the aviation agency as part of the safety protocol.
“We can confirm that a joint mission of the European Commission and EASA to Pakistan will take place next week,” the EASA spokesperson, Vera Tavares, told Arab News over email, declining to share further details.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) official confirmed the on-site evaluation would be the visiting delegation’s crucial agenda item.
“An on-site assessment of the safety measures of Civil Aviation Authority and PIA is on the agenda of four-member delegation,” he said.
In January last year, EASA declined to lift the ban, referencing an audit by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) that highlighted significant degradation in the PCAA certification and oversight capabilities.
However, a few months later in July, EASA said that constructive discussions were underway with civil aviation officials in Pakistan over the issue.
PIA is already in the throes of a severe financial crisis, resulting in widespread flight suspensions and an escalated push for privatization by the current interim administration of the country.