PIA flights to UK to resume from May

KARACHI: National Carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is likely to resume its flights to the United Kingdom (UK) by May.

PIA flights to Europe and the UK have been grounded since 2020, following the EU Aviation Safety Agency’s revocation of the airline’s authorization to fly to the bloc due to a pilot licensing scandal.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has expressed the hope that PIA  flights to England would likely resume in May as inspections in this regard have been completed.

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CAA Additional Director General Taimur Iqbal stated this while presiding over the 43rd E-Kacheri.

Commenting on the follow-ups, the additional director general emphasised the importance of passengers knowing their rights and filing claims for grievances like flight cancellations. He said airlines needed to provide more information than just saying ‘technical’ reasons for cancellations or delays leading to cancellations.

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) landed in hot water after nearly a third of its pilots were suspected of holding fake or “dubious” licenses and dodging exams following inquiries into their qualifications.

The 262 grounded pilots pending conclusion of inquiries against them included 141 from PIA, nine from Air Blue, 10 from Serene Airline, and 17 from Shaheen Airlines, Pakistani Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan announced on Friday. They included 109 commercial and 153 airline transport pilots.

The purge has sparked global concern, raising questions over how the Pakistani pilots acquired licenses from Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and worked for international airlines across the world.