In a major development, the United Kingdom has removed Pakistan from its Air Safety List, allowing national airline and other carriers to once again apply for permission to operate direct flights to the Britain.
The decision, announced on Wednesday by the UK’s Air Safety Committee, follows sustained technical cooperation with Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) and a thorough review of aviation safety standards.
The ban was enforced in July 2020 by the UK and European aviation authorities following the fake pilot licence scandal.
In 2020, during Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) government, then-aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan claimed that pilots were operating planes with fake licences. This was his response after PIA’s Airbus A-320s crashed in Karachi, killing nearly 100 people.
Although the removal from the list marks a significant milestone, Pakistani carriers will still need to secure individual operating permits from the UK Civil Aviation Authority before flights can resume.
The move is expected to ease travel for the estimated 1.6 million people of Pakistani origin living in the UK, as well as support trade ties between the two countries, read a statement released by the British High Commission.
Bilateral trade between both countries currently stands at £4.7 billion, with the UK ranked as Pakistan’s third-largest trading partner, it said.
Pakistan was first added to the UK’s Air Safety List in 2021 over serious safety concerns. Since then, officials on both sides have worked together to address the shortcomings, the statement added.
British High Commissioner to Pakistan Jane Marriott welcomed the removal of the ban on Pakistani airlines.
“I’m grateful to aviation experts in the UK and Pakistan for their collaborative work to meet international safety standards.
“While flights won’t resume overnight, I look forward to flying with a Pakistani airline once services restart,” she added.
While several private Pakistani airlines operate domestically and on regional routes, primarily to the Middle East, PIA has historically been the only carrier to operate long-haul flights to Britain and the European Union.
PIA had previously estimated an annual revenue loss of around 40 billion rupees ($144 million) due to the ban. The airline has long considered UK routes, including London, Manchester, and Birmingham, among its most profitable, and holds sought-after landing slots at London’s Heathrow Airport that could become active again.
The development came months after the European Union (EU) lifted the ban on PIA and other operators from flying to different European destinations.
Following the removal of the ban, PIA operated its first direct flight from Islamabad to Paris this year in January.
‘Major milestone’
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif hailed the UK’s decision to remove Pakistan from its Air Safety List as a “major milestone”, crediting the move to three years of sustained efforts under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s leadership.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, the defence minister, said the development opens up new opportunities for Pakistan’s aviation industry.
Calling the inclusion in the Air Safety List a “national embarrassment”, Asif lashed out at former aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan for his statement, which led to international flight bans on Pakistani airlines.
