Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Saturday reaffirmed the government’s resolve to transform the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) into a profitable organisation as the national carrier resumed its weekly flights to the United Kingdom after a five-year hiatus.
Speaking at a ceremony held at Islamabad International Airport to mark the resumption of operations, the defence czar said that suspension of PIA’s UK operations had caused significant financial losses to the government, but added that the airline’s standards had now been restored.
Britain lifted the five-year ban in July this year, allowing Pakistani airlines to apply to restart UK flights.
The flight resumption became possible after PIA received Third Country Operator (TCO) approval from British authorities last month.
After the ceremony, PIA’s flight PK-701 of Boeing 777 departed from Islamabad airport to Manchester. The flight will land at 5pm PST after a non-stop flight of around five hours.
A special ceremony will also be held at Manchester Airport to welcome the inaugural flight, said a PIA spokesperson.
Addressing the ceremony today, Asif said: “We have successfully reinstated the quality and credibility of our national airline.”
The federal defence commended the efforts of Pakistan’s diplomatic staff, saying their tireless work had played a crucial role in lifting the ban. He also acknowledged the cooperation of the British high commissioner.
The ceremony was attended by British High Commissioner Jane Marriott, defence secretary, and other senior officials.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s High Commissioner to the UK, Mohammad Faisal, said that the Islamabad-Manchester flight could open the door for operations to several other British cities.
Faisal, in an interview with The Telegraph, said that the issues which led to the suspension had been resolved, adding that the airline had worked to restore confidence after the 2020 Karachi plane crash that killed 97 people and exposed the use of bogus licences among some pilots.
It was revealed that before the disaster struck, the pilots of the fateful flight were distracted and preoccupied as they talked about the coronavirus pandemic while preparing for an initial failed attempt to land, according to officials.
The government opened criminal investigations into 50 pilots and at least five civil aviation officials who allegedly helped them falsify credentials to secure licences.
The probes followed roughly three months after authorities grounded dozens of pilots over allegedly dubious qualifications. At the time, the civil aviation regulator had said it would conduct a detailed investigation into the scandal.
PIA had previously estimated an annual revenue loss of around 40 billion rupees ($144 million) due to the ban.
The airline has long considered UK routes, including London, Manchester, and Birmingham, among its most profitable, and holds sought-after landing slots at London’s Heathrow Airport that could become active again.
Faisal told The Telegraph that mechanisms had been put in place to ensure that pilot qualifications were closely vetted to the satisfaction of UK and European safety regulators.
“We have gone through a rigorous process of setting up a new system, which involves some external examiners and people who oversee the pilot licensing,” the official said, talking to the British newspaper.
“Pakistani pilots are known all over the world, and they are flying planes in all the reputable airlines. They are very sought after. So we don’t have a pilot problem as such in Pakistan.”
The national airline has upgraded its safety and maintenance systems, having its flight crews re-evaluated and certified in the UK, The Telegraph reported.
