PIA preparing to restart Europe operations, says aviation minister

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan International Airlines' (PIA) Europe operations, suspended in 2020 over safety concerns, are expected to restart in February or March, the country's aviation minister said on Thursday.

Europe's aviation regulator banned Pakistani airlines from its airspace following a scandal over dubious pilot licences.

"We are expecting PIA's Europe operations will resume in February or March, the airline has made plans for the European operations," Ghulam Sarwar Khan, minister for aviation, told reporters in Islamabad.

Pakistan has successfully resolved aviation safety concerns: UN aviation body

The statement comes after the UN's aviation body, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), gave Pakistan's aviation regulator the all clear in terms of resolving significant safety concerns.

The development also paves way for the aviation sector to resume issuing licences to the country's pilots.

In the letter dated January 4, 2022 and sent to Director General of PCAA Khaqan Murtaza, Denis Guindon, the Deputy Director Monitoring and Oversight Air Navigation Bureau at ICAO, said that the actions taken by Pakistan had successfully resolved the Significant Safety Concern (SSC).

"I wish to refer to the Significant Safety Concern (SSC/PEL-01/09-2020/PAK refers) that was issued to Pakistan on 18 September 2020 as well as the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP) Continuous Monitoring Approach (CMA) audit that was conducted by an ICAO team in Pakistan from 29 November to 10 December 2021," stated the letter, a copy of which is available with Business Recorder.

“During the audit, the ICAO team reviewed the corrective actions taken and related evidence presented by Pakistan to address the SSC regarding the licensing system of the State, specifically in relation to the examinations conducted by the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) and by delegated or designated training organizations prior to the issuance of licences and ratings."

The letter added that the ICAO SSC Validation Committee reviewed the actions and relevant evidence validated in Pakistan.

“The Committee determined that the actions taken by Pakistan had successfully resolved SSC,” read the letter, while lauding PCAA for their assistance to the ICAO team during the audit mission.

Back in September 2020, ICAO advised Pakistan to undertake immediate corrective action and suspend the issue of any new pilot licences after false licences came to light following the crash of a PIA plane in May that year.