Islamabad: Following the lifting of a four-year ban by European Union officials, Pakistan’s struggling national airline will begin operating flights to Europe on January 10, the business announced on Saturday.
A “PIA flight will depart from Islamabad to Paris on January 10,” according to a statement from Pakistan International Airline (PIA), which was at the heart of a pilot license controversy.
“At first, two flights per week (on Friday and Sunday) will be offered; this number will be progressively increased.”
In June 2020, one month after one of its planes crashed into a street in the southern city of Karachi, killing almost 100 people, PIA was prohibited from operating flights to the EU.
After the pilots and air traffic control blamed the accident on human error, it was later claimed that over one-third of the pilots’ licenses were fraudulent or questionable.
The airline is still not allowed to operate in the US.
A representative for the airline stated that they would “strictly adhere to EASA’s regulations and guidelines,” referring to the European Union’s aviation body, following the lifting of Europe’s ban last week.
With 7,000 employees, PIA has long been criticized for being overly large and badly managed, hampered by unpaid invoices, a dismal safety record, and legal troubles.
The Pakistani government has been frantically looking for a buyer and has stated that it is dedicated to privatizing the indebted airline.
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