Pakistani flights denied by EU once again

European Union Commission on Wednesday refused to lift the ban on Pakistani flights to operate in their territory after Pakistan failed to address reservations of the commission.

As per EU commission, Pakistan’s aviation department needs to make pilot licensing authority more transparent, noting that issuance of licenses to pilots has to be via a fool-proof protocol.

The commission also objected to safety protocols followed by the authority in Pakistan and pointed out that it needs improvement.

Back in September, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) had decided that it will not appeal against a six-month ban imposed on its flights to various destinations in Europe.

In June, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) had banned the national flag carrier from flying to European locations over safety concerns. The EASA took the initiative days after PIA grounded several pilots over "dubious qualifications licenses" and in view of the PIA Airbus crash incident on May 22.

It may be noted that earlier, the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) reported to have incurred a loss of Rs280 million after suspension of its flight operation to and from the EU states.