UK lifts ban on Pakistani flights after 5 years

ISLAMABAD: The United Kingdom (UK) has removed Pakistan from its Air Safety List, lifting a nearly four-year-long ban on Pakistani carriers, including the national flag-bearer PIA, from flying directly to Britain.

The announcement was made on Wednesday following a formal decision by the UK’s Air Safety Committee, which cited “sustained technical cooperation” with Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority and significant improvements in regulatory oversight and flight safety protocols as the reason. The move allows Pakistani airlines to apply for operating permits and potentially resume direct flights to the UK.

A team from the UK Department for Transport completed an aviation security inspection at Islamabad airport last Thursday. The team declared Pakistan’s security arrangements as satisfactory in line with international standards. The announcement follows a broader international recognition of Pakistan’s efforts to improve air safety.

The ban was imposed in July 2020 after the then aviation minister, Ghulam Sarwar Khan, ‘revealed’ that many Pakistani pilots held “dubious” licences, a claim that followed a PIA crash in Karachi, which killed around 100 people. The fallout led to widespread international flight restrictions against Pakistani carriers.

Though Wednesday’s delisting is seen as a strong vote of confidence in Pakistan’s improved aviation governance, direct flight operations cannot resume immediately. Each airline must still apply for and secure specific permits from the UK Civil Aviation Authority, a process that could take several weeks, if not months.

Decisions on de-listing states and air carriers from the UK Air Safety List are made through an independent aviation safety process. This is overseen by the UK’s Air Safety Committee, who have been closely engaging with the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority over several years. The committee has judged that necessary safety improvements have been made since its original decision in 2021. Therefore, based on this independent and technically-driven process, it has decided to remove Pakistan and its air carriers from the List.

It marks the end of a long process initiated in 2020, based on factual and verifiable evidence that the ability of the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) to certify and oversee its air operators had degraded below acceptable level. Since that time, the EASA, in close coordination with the European Commission (EC), which is responsible for the Air Safety List mechanism, has been in a continuous dialogue with the PCAA and both operators, which also included an on-site assessment in Pakistan in November 2023. Based on the significant efforts made by the PCAA since 2020 and the performances demonstrated by both operators, as per TCO Regulation (EU) No 452/2014, EASA has now re-established sufficient confidence in the PCAA oversight capabilities and has therefore decided to authorise the two carriers to perform commercial air transport operations to/from/within the EU.

In a related development, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a government agency responsible for regulating all aspects of civil aviation, is expected to visit Pakistan in future with the hopes that the US might also remove certain restrictions on Pakistani airlines.

British High Commissioner to Pakistan Jane Marriott welcomed the development, crediting aviation experts from both countries for restoring safety standards. “While it will take time for flights to resume, once the logistics are in place, I look forward to using a Pakistani carrier when visiting family and friends,” she said in a statement.

The lifting of the ban holds particular importance for the 1.6 million-strong Pakistani diaspora in the UK and thousands of British nationals in Pakistan. It also carries commercial significance as the UK is Pakistan’s third-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade valued at £4.7 billion. Direct flights are expected to streamline both family travel and cargo links, giving a much-needed boost to the country’s struggling aviation sector.

The PIA has already submitted its proposed schedule to the UK CAA and is preparing to relaunch its UK operations, starting with three weekly flights between Islamabad and Manchester. The airline had previously estimated losses of up to Rs40 billion ($144 million) annually due to the suspension of its UK and EU operations. These routes, particularly London Heathrow, Manchester and Birmingham, have historically been among PIA’s most profitable, due to high passenger demand and long-standing landing slots. The airline also resumed its European operations earlier this year, launching a direct flight to Paris in January after the EU lifted its own ban.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif described the development as a “significant step forward” for the country’s global reputation and a vindication of his government’s efforts. In a tweet, he insisted, “The reckless and irresponsible statements made by PTI members caused irreparable reputational damage to Pakistan, grounding the national carrier for years, from key global routes, including the UK and Europe.”

Separately, in a meeting held at the Prime Minister’s Office, he congratulated Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif on lifting of the UK ban on Pakistani flights, calling it a significant milestone for Pakistan’s aviation sector and international standing. He commended the efforts of the defence minister and his team, as well as the Aviation Division, for their dedicated work in achieving this diplomatic and operational breakthrough.

The PM said that resumption of Pakistani flights to the UK mark an extremely important achievement for the country. He said the development would greatly facilitate travel for the large Pakistani diaspora in the UK and boost tourism between the two countries.

He also appreciated Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Ministry of Defence, and Aviation Division for their efforts in ending the ban.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif echoed the sentiment, praising the decision as a “major milestone”. Addressing a press conference here, he said the then prime minister Imran Khan and then aviation minister turned the national flag carrier into a graveyard, rendering it totally inactive.

He said then Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan, by levelling an allegation against country’s own institution, invited international regulators to impose ban on flights from Pakistan. “In this way, he committed a crime against the state and till date has given no clarification,” he said.

However, he said it was up to the federal cabinet to fix the responsibility as to why the ban was imposed on the national flag carrier.

He said both Imran Khan and Ghulam Sarwar badly damaged PIA and it was due to a lack of business that it became a dysfunctional institution and pilots’ reputation was hurt.

The minister said responsibility of that statement was also on Imran Khan that it was given by his cabinet member. He said lifting of ban shows confidence in Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority’s compliance with the international safety standards.

He noted that this resulted in losses of billions of rupees for the national flag carrier and hurt the national image. “It is also a matter of concern as to what was the motive behind the irresponsible statement,” he said.

Khawaja Asif thanked the European Union and British Aviation regulators for their guidance and support in helping Pakistan address safety concerns and meet required standards.

He said the next phase is privatisation of PIA, expressing confidence that the lifting of ban on flight operations to the UK and Europe will help maximise the proceeds from the airline’s privatisation. “The development will help in value addition of PIA as we are offering its privatisation after restoration of all routes,” he said.

The minister said now next effort would be restoring flights to and from New York, although there is no ban. At the same time, he also pointed out that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took keen interest in achieving the milestone.

He said now when the issue had been resolved amicably, the government should also pursue as to who should be held responsible saying that majority of 10 million overseas Pakistanis used to travel on the national flag carrier.

He said that PIA would now apply for licence to operate to the UK saying that a private airline from Pakistan had also been given permission to apply for the same. The minister told a questioner that there was no question of giving any clean chit to then aviation minister, saying that the statement itself was an evidence against him.

To a question regarding an investigation into the national aviation industry, he said the government could hold an internal inquiry and PM could also give directives in this regard. He said what the then aviation minister stated had already been proven wrong, adding that he would not want to indulge in any controversy at this stage. “Let us celebrate the achievement,” he added.

While the PIA gears up for a relaunch, the return of Pakistani carriers to the UK skies raises a broader question: Will British Airways, which resumed Pakistan operations in 2019 after a 10-year hiatus, continue flying the lucrative UK-Pakistan route once PIA and possibly other domestic competitors are back into play?

Meanwhile, the PIA officially announced its readiness to resume flights to the UK, following the lifting of the British aviation ban on Pakistani carriers.

The national flag carrier termed the end of the ban a testament to PIA’s adherence to international aviation safety standards. According to the airline’s statement, the British Air Safety Committee’s decision to lift restrictions was made possible due to PIA’s strict compliance with global air safety protocols.

The PIA is now finalising preparations to restart operations to the UK in record time. The airline has submitted a proposed flight schedule, with initial operations set to commence from Islamabad to Manchester.

The airline expressed special gratitude to the prime minister, deputy prime minister, minister of defence, Ministry of Defence, British High Commissioner Jane Marriott, Civil Aviation Authority, and other relevant departments for their personal efforts in facilitating lifting of the ban.