A British safety agency, the Department for Transport (DfT), is set to visit Pakistan at the end of October for audits of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
PIA spokesperson has confirmed that the airline has completed all necessary preparations in anticipation of the DfT team’s visit.
There is optimism within PIA that direct flights to the UK and European countries can be restored following the visits of the DfT and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
In July, the management of PIA announced its plans to resume cargo handling services in France and invited companies to submit applications.
After being banned for three years, PIA is hopeful that it will be allowed to operate direct flights to European countries again, pending clearance from EASA.
Furthermore, PIA recently made senior officer appointments in the United Kingdom. Despite the ban and the financial crisis, the airline appointed officers and staff with generous salaries.
The spokesperson mentioned that PIA currently operates flights to the UK through code sharing with Turkish Airlines, generating an annual revenue of £14 million. The spokesperson highlighted that only 1.8% of this revenue is spent on PIA staff in the UK.
PIA is committed to resuming direct flights between Pakistan and the UK soon. To facilitate this, the airline has appointed a country manager and sales managers to expedite the restoration of direct flights.
Overall, the upcoming visits by the DfT and EASA provide hope for the reinstatement of Pakistan-UK flights and Pakistan-Europe flights, which would greatly benefit PIA and passengers alike.