Pakistan sees chances high of UK, Europe flight restoration

Celina Ali

Islamabad: Pakistan has set expectations high for the restoration of direct flight operations in the United Kingdom (UK) and Europe after the upcoming visits of their aviation audit teams.

A delegation from the British safety agency, Department for Transport (DfT), will visit Pakistan at the end of October.

During its visit, the DfT team will conduct an audit of the safety management system, flight data monitoring and aircraft.

The DfT will conduct the audits of both Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

The PIA spokesperson said that the airline management completed all preparations ahead of the Dft team’s visit to Pakistan.

The spokesperson added that there are high chances for the restoration of direct flights to the UK and European countries after the DfT and European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) visits.

Earlier in July, it was reported that the management of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) had issued a tender for cargo handling services in France and sought applications from the willing companies.

The PIA spokesperson had said that the applications will be submitted to the national airline’s country manager in France.

After a three-year ban, the national carrier is expected to be allowed to resume direct flights to European countries after getting clearance from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

Moreover, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) made appointments of senior officers in the United Kingdom (UK) earlier this month.

The national flag carrier is facing a ban on direct flights to the United Kingdom (UK) for three years. Despite the financial crisis and the ban, the national airline appointed officers and staffers on high salaries.

The PIA spokesperson said that the national airline continued its flight operation on the basis of code sharing with Turkish Airlines in the UK and earning £14 million annually. The spokesperson said that only 1.8% of earnings is being spent on the PIA staffers in the UK.

The spokesperson added that Pakistan-UK direct flight operations will be resumed soon. It added that the airline’s country manager and sales managers were appointed citing the early restoration of direct flights to the UK.