• 100% booking signals positive turn for PIA amid several challenges.
• Minister says national airline’s services to Europe operational again. 
• Asif slams negative impact of by ex-minister’s irresponsible remarks.
  

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has resumed its long-awaited flights to Europe, marking a major milestone for the national carrier after more than four years of hiatus, as the first flight took off for Paris on Friday.

PIA’s authorisation to operate in the Europe was suspended in June 2020 over concerns about the ability of Pakistani authorities and its Civil Aviation Authority to ensure compliance with international aviation standards.

Federal Minister for Aviation Khawaja Asif, who saw off the passengers at Islamabad airport, said that the flight, PK 749, was 100% booked, signaling a positive turn for the airline, which has faced several challenges in recent years.

While addressing a ceremony after the flight’s take off, Asif said that the national airline’s services to Europe were once again operational, with PIA now connecting Pakistan with the French capital.

The minister emphasised that the closure of several of PIA’s profitable routes in the past had severely impacted its operations. He also noted that these losses had affected services provided to overseas Pakistanis, particularly in Europe.

Asif highlighted how PIA had previously been a symbol of national pride, with the airline offering essential services such as transporting the bodies of deceased Pakistanis back to their homeland free of charge. This service, however, had been discontinued, leaving many overseas Pakistanis without this vital support.

The minister also expressed his hope for the future of the national carrier, stating that the restoration of PIA’s European routes was just the beginning. He confirmed that direct flights to the UK would be launched soon, further expanding the airline’s reach. 

Additionally, the he suggested that privatising PIA could be a potential solution to secure the airline’s long-term success and ensure its profitability moving forward.

“The green and white flag of Pakistan is once again waving in European skies,” Khawaja Asif declared, referring to the airline’s renewed presence in the continent’s airspace. 

He also took the opportunity to criticise the negative impact that “irresponsible” statements about PIA by a former minister had caused over the years. 

He called for accountability from those who had made damaging remarks, stressing that such comments should not be allowed to hurt the reputation of the national carrier.

The successful takeoff of PIA’s first flight to Paris is seen as a significant step in the airline’s recovery, with 323 passengers on board for this historic journey. 

As per a report published in The News, the PIA will operate two weekly direct flights to Paris, with a cost-effective ticket pricing. 

It came months after the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) lifted ban on the flights of national flag carrier to Europe after a gap of nearly four years. 

The EASA and Britain had suspended PIA’s permission to operate in the region after Pakistan began probing a scandal over the validity of pilots’ licences in the wake of a 2020 plane crash in Karachi that killed 97 people. 

In a startling revelation, the then aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar revealed that pilots possessed “fake” licences. 

The ban cost the loss-making airline 40 billion rupees ($144 million) annually in revenue.