Britain Lifts Restrictions on Pakistani Airlines
Islamabad: The UK embassy in Islamabad announced on Wednesday that Britain has removed the restrictions placed on Pakistani airlines, effectively ending a five-year ban on the struggling national carrier.
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), the country’s flag carrier, was prohibited from operating flights to Britain starting in June 2020. This decision followed a tragic incident in which one of its planes crashed into a street in Karachi, resulting in nearly 100 fatalities.
The crash was determined to be caused by errors made by both pilots and air traffic control, leading to further concerns regarding the authenticity of approximately one-third of PIA’s pilots’ licenses, some of which were found to be questionable.
According to the British High Commission in Islamabad, the UK Air Safety Committee decided to lift the ban due to improvements in aviation safety standards within Pakistan. They emphasized that decisions regarding the removal of states and airlines from restrictions are based on an “independent aviation safety process.”
“Informed by this independent and technical approach, it has been concluded that Pakistan and its air carriers will be taken off the (UK Air Safety) List,” stated their announcement.
This development follows European regulators’ recent decision to end a four-year prohibition on PIA, allowing the airline to resume flights to Europe as of January.
PIA employs around 7,000 individuals but has faced ongoing criticism for being overstaffed and poorly managed—struggling under unpaid debts, a concerning safety record, and various regulatory challenges.
The government of Pakistan has expressed its commitment to privatizing the financially troubled airline and is actively seeking potential buyers.
In 2024, negotiations fell apart when a prospective buyer allegedly proposed only a small portion of PIA’s asking price.
Established in 1955 following the nationalization of an unprofitable commercial airline, PIA experienced rapid expansion until reaching its peak in the 1990s.
