ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s state-run airline is preparing to resume direct flights to European countries early next month, officials said Thursday, days after the European Union’s aviation safety agency lifted a ban on Pakistan International Airlines flying to Europe over compliance with its safety standards.
The ban on PIA by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency had been in place since 2020 after 97 people died when a PIA plane crashed in Karachi, the capital of southern Sindh province.
The ban was causing a loss of nearly $150 million a year in revenue to PIA, officials say.
Airline spokesman Abdullah Hafeez said after more than four years the first direct flight from the capital Islamabad to Paris will resume in early January.
He told The Associated Press that EASA has expressed “complete satisfaction over the safety standards of PIA” and that arrangements are underway to resume PIA’s flights to other cities in the European countries.
The EU agency had said it was “concerned about the validity of the Pakistani pilot licenses” when it imposed the ban in 2020. It said it was concerned about Pakistan’s capability in certifying and overseeing its operators and aircraft in accordance with applicable international standards.
The Airbus A320 plane carrying 91 passengers and eight crew members from Lahore crashed in a residential area in May 22, 2020 while trying to land at Karachi airport. There were only two survivors.
Pakistan’s then aviation minister said during investigations that nearly a third of Pakistani pilots had cheated on their pilot’s exams. PIA at the time grounded 150 pilots.
A government probe later concluded that the crash was caused by a pilot’s error.
Travel agents on Thursday said customers were making calls to inquire about the new flights.
Hafeez, the PIA spokesman, said the airline will soon announce the schedule of flights to other destinations in Europe.
“If you have your breakfast in Pakistan, you will be having your lunch in Paris,” he said.
Pakistan’s PIA to resume flights to Europe in January after EU agency lifts ban
https://arab.news/gr3k8
Pakistan’s PIA to resume flights to Europe in January after EU agency lifts ban
- Ban in place since 2020 after 97 people died when a PIA plane crashed in Karachi
- Ban was causing a loss of nearly $150 million a year in revenue to PIA, officials say
Pakistani, Bangladeshi officials discuss trade, investment and aviation as ties thaw
- Pakistan and Bangladesh were once one nation, but they split in 1971 as a result of a bloody civil war
- Ties between Pakistan, Bangladesh have warmed up since last year and both nations have resumed sea trade
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's High Commissioner to Bangladesh Imran Haider on Sunday met Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus in Dhaka, the latter's office said on, with the two figures discussing trade, investment and aviation.
Pakistan and Bangladesh were once one nation, but they split in 1971 as a result of a bloody civil war, which saw the part previously referred to as East Pakistan seceding to form the independent nation of Bangladesh.
Ties between Pakistan and Bangladesh have warmed up since former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s ouster as a result of a student-led uprising in August 2024. Relations remain frosty between Dhaka and New Delhi over India’s decision to grant asylum to Hasina.
Pakistan has attempted to forge closer ties with Bangladesh in recent months and both South Asian nations last year began sea trade, followed by efforts to expand government-to-government commerce.
"During the meeting, both sides discussed ways to expand cooperation in trade, investment, and aviation as well as scaling up cultural, educational and medical exchanges to further strengthen bilateral relations between the two South Asian nations," Yunus's office said in a statement on X.
In 2023-24 Pakistan exported goods worth $661 million to Bangladesh, while its imports were only $57 million, according to the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan. In Aug. this year, the Pakistani and Bangladeshi commerce ministries signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a Joint Working Group on Trade, aiming to raise their bilateral trade volume to $1 billion in the financial year that began in July.
The Pakistani high commissioner noted that bilateral trade has recorded a 20 percent growth compared to last year, with business communities from both countries actively exploring new investment opportunities, according to the statement.
He highlighted a significant increase in cultural exchanges, adding that Bangladeshi students have shown strong interest in higher education opportunities in Pakistan, particularly in medical sciences, nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence. Haider also said that Dhaka-Karachi direct flights are expected to start in January.
"Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus welcomed the growing interactions between the two countries and emphasized the importance of increased visits as well as cultural, educational and people-to-people exchanges among SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) member states," the statement read.
"Professor Yunus also underscored the need to further boost Bangladesh–Pakistan trade and expressed hope that during Mr. Haider’s tenure, both countries would explore new avenues for investment and joint venture businesses."
