ISLAMABAD: Pakistan hopes to resume flights to major European, American, and British destinations in February or March after receiving the go-ahead from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
Flights to Central Asia, including Bishkek, Baku, and Tashkent, will also begin this year. Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan made the announcement during a press conference on Thursday, January 6, 2022.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has cancelled Pakistan International Airlines’ (PIA) authorization to operate flights to EU member states in July 2020, barring Pakistani airlines from travelling to EU countries. Pakistan’s Aviation Minister, Ghulam Sarwar, has alleged that roughly 40% of Pakistani pilots had “dubious licenses” following the Karachi jet tragedy on May 22, 2020.
The Pakistani aviation minister also revealed that five Pakistani CAA employees face legal charges following the investigation of 262 pilots.
PIA plans to fly to the UK’s three largest cities—London, Birmingham, and Manchester—as well as Paris and Oslo in Europe, as per the aviation minister’s remarks to the media.
Flights to Canada will also restart, according to the government.
“A big victory” was how the minister described ICAO’s removal of safety concerns about Pakistan during the re-accreditation process.
According to Mr. Sarwar, he had invited the ICAO audit team to Pakistan to show that not only had all of their safety concerns been addressed but that efforts had also been made to strengthen pilot training and licencing procedures.
On Nov. 29, 2021, the International Civil Aviation Organization’s audit team was in Pakistan. They were given a tour of CAA facilities, including flying clubs and airports; a study of safety measures; and a review of the pilot test procedure.
The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has contacted the UK CAA, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), and the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to inform them that the safety concerns expressed by ICAO have been resolved, according to the country’s aviation minister.
For security reasons, aircraft registered in Pakistan were formerly prohibited from landing in the EU, UK, or US.
An ICAO audit found that Pakistan’s four licenced airlines, including PIA, AirBlue, Air Sial, and Serene Air, were all international standards-compliant, according to the Minister of Civil Aviation.
Pakistan and the British Civil Aviation Authority have inked a two-year memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen pilot licencing. To administer and grade exam papers for applicants, the UK’s licencing department would do it under the MoU, the minister stated.
Mr. Sarwar insisted that the COVID-19 epidemic had harmed the aviation sector as a whole, pointing out that it forced certain airlines to halt half of their aircraft.
The national flag carrier of Pakistan, with a fleet of 34 planes, has done well throughout the epidemic. According to him, since revenue had increased, losses had decreased, and they had added two Airbus A320 aircraft to the fleet.
At the same time, he made it clear that Pakistan would not give up any routes and would only allow A380 aircraft to run reciprocally.
