Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) expects to resume its European routes soon and is eyeing several UK destinations after the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) lifted its suspension on the flag carrier, as reported by Reuters in a conversation with PIA spokesman Abdullah Hafeez Khan.
Khan stated that the airline plans to approach the UK’s Department for Transport (DfT) for route resumption, noting that EASA clearance is a key prerequisite for their decision.
The ban, imposed in 2020, followed a devastating PIA plane crash in Karachi that killed nearly 100 people and exposed a scandal involving fake pilot licenses. As a result, EASA barred PIA from operating on its most lucrative routes in Europe and the UK, costing the airline an estimated annual revenue of Rs40 billion.
“The suspension led to a loss of around 40 billion rupees ($144 million) in revenue annually,” Khan said. “The main reason for this was the investigation into the validity of pilots’ licenses after the deadly crash that killed 97 people, which prompted EASA and UK authorities to suspend our operations.”
Khan also revealed that PIA aims to resume flights to Europe within three to four weeks, with Paris being the starting point. “Once approval is secured for UK routes, our priority destinations will be London, Manchester, and Birmingham,” he added.
According to Khan, PIA has sufficient cash flow to add new routes, and decisions regarding leasing new aircraft will follow once the government finalizes privatization discussions. Despite a 23% stake in Pakistan’s domestic aviation market, PIA’s 34-plane fleet cannot compete with Middle Eastern carriers that control 60% of the market.
“Although we have agreements with 87 countries and key landing slots, the lack of direct flights has limited our growth potential,” Khan said.
