Islamabad:
In spite of the lifting of the restrictions of the Department of Transportation of the United Kingdom (DFT) in the Pakistani airlines more than a month ago, direct flights between Pakistan and the United Kingdom have not yet resumed, and officials cannot provide a definitive date.
According to the sources, the main obstacle lies in the lack of ensuring the mandatory license of the third country operator (TCO), without which direct operations to the United Kingdom cannot begin. The responsibility of obtaining the license has become a point of discussion, with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and private transporters who blame others.
The issuance of the TCO is the responsibility of the airlines, not the CAA, said the experts of the aviation regulator. However, airline officials argue that authorization is granted at the country level and, therefore, falls under the scope of the CAA.
The CAA spokesman clarified that the authority’s mandate was limited to facilitating the elimination of restrictions, which has already been achieved.
“At present, Pakistani airlines have not formally received the approval of the United Kingdom TCO,” said Pia spokesman, adding that a flight schedule would be issued immediately once the authorization was granted.
Private airlines also confirmed that they were waiting for TCO’s approval, noting that they had completed their planning.
Previously, the dates of August 14, on August 16 and the first week of September were floated for flight resumption, but none materialized.
