EU lifts flight ban on Pakistan International Airlines after four years

Amir Hayat, CEO of PIA, commented on this development via a video on X. He attributed this achievement to the management's continuous efforts over four years.

PIA previously operated flights between Pakistan and various European cities including Copenhagen, Paris, Milan, Oslo, Barcelona, London, Manchester, and Birmingham. Despite the lifting of the EU ban, PIA remains banned by the UK Civil Aviation Authority due to safety concerns. There are expectations that flights to the UK may soon resume pending an official announcement.

The airline currently maintains a fleet of 32 aircraft comprising Airbus A320s, Boeing 777s, and ATR 42-500 turboprops as reported by ch-aviation data.

In June 2020, PIA faced an EU ban following revelations about fake pilot licenses amid broader safety concerns after a fatal crash in May that year. An investigation found numerous pilots with unverified licenses leading to doubts about aviation safety standards in Pakistan.

In February 2024, Pakistani aviation authorities released a final report on PIA’s Airbus A320 crash in Karachi attributing it to human error involving inadequate communication between pilots and air traffic control.

This prohibition was financially challenging for PIA but allowed other airlines to expand services on routes between Europe and Pakistan during this period.