The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is expected to lift restrictions on the flight operations of Pakistani aircraft, including those of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), on European routes in the coming months.
Reports, quoting sources close to the matter, disclosed that a meeting of the EASA’s safety board is scheduled for May 2024. The future of PIA will reportedly be a central topic of discussion during the meeting.
The sources, according to reports, further added that PIA has submitted the relevant documents to the EASA regarding this issue. Meanwhile, the final report is expected to be presented during the EASA’s safety board meeting in May.
The European Safety Agency will include the audit reports of both PIA and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in the agenda for the upcoming meeting, the reports added.
A spokesperson for the CAA expressed optimism, citing promising progress in the ongoing discussions. It should be recalled that in June 2020, EASA suspended PIA’s flight operations for Europe in June 2020 due to safety concerns.
In a letter to the national flag carrier, the EASA stated that it had revoked the Third Country Operator (TCO) Authorization for PIA after the airline failed to adhere to the proposed corrective action plans.
The EASA added that six findings were raised with PIA officials during meetings in June and September 2019. The national flag carrier successfully implemented five of the action plans. However, one regarding element of a Safety Management System remained unimplemented.