Islamabad:
Great Britain has raised a five -year prohibition of Pakistani airlines, which allows them to request to resume the flights of the United Kingdom just when the government increases efforts to privatize Pakistan international airlines.
The ban was imposed in 2020, days after the government initiated an investigation into the validity of the pilot licenses issued in the country after a PIA plane crash that killed 97 people.
The high British commissioner Jane Marriott said that the prohibition lifting followed the security improvements of the Pakistani authorities. The decision occurs only a few months after the European Union took similar measures.
“I am grateful for aviation experts in the United Kingdom and Pakistan for their collaborative work to promote improvements to meet international security standards. Although the flights will take time, once the logistics is in place, I hope to use a Pakistani operator when you visit family and friends,” he said.
The prohibition is expected to provide great relief and the opportunity to the more than 1.6 million British residents of the Pakistani inheritance and thousands of British citizens living in Pakistan.
It also occurs as a potential catalyst to improve the bilateral trade of £ 4.7 billion between the two countries.
With the airspace now clear, the skies are again open for stronger people to people and economic cooperation between Pakistan and the United Kingdom.
While several private Pakistani airlines operate nationwide and on regional routes, mainly in the Middle East, PIA has historically been the only carrier in operating long -distance flights to Great Britain and the European Union.
PIA had previously estimated an annual revenue loss of around RS40 billion ($ 144 million) due to the prohibition. The airline has long considered the routes of the United Kingdom, including London, Manchester and Birmingham, among its most profitable, and possess the landing spaces requested at the London Heathrow airport that could become active again.
Pia spokesman said the airline was finishing preparations to resume the United Kingdom flights “in the shortest possible time” and had presented its proposed schedule.
The flights would resume with the Islamabad-Mancheter route, with three weekly flights initially planned pending the approval of the schedule, added the spokesman.
Earlier this month, the Privatization Commission approved four groups to offer for a 51-100% participation in PIA. Final offers are expected at the end of this year. The government expects recent reforms, which led to the first operational gain of the airline in 21 years, help attract buyers under a privatization impulse supported by the broader IMF.
Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said a press conference on Wednesday that the resumption of all routes would improve PIA’s value before privatization. He also said there were plans to restart flights to New York.
“Pakistan will request an operational license to resume direct flights from the United Kingdom,” he said.
Asif criticized an irresponsible statement by the then Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan of the Government of Pakistan Tehreek-E-Insaf (PTI) for triggering the prohibition of PIA operations in European countries and the United Kingdom.
Ghulam Sarwar’s comments caused irreparable damage to Pia and Pakistan’s reputation, he added.
In response to a question, he said that several consortia had shown interest in the process of privatization of PIA.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, welcoming the decision of the United Kingdom Air Safety Board, said that “positive development” would improve the international reputation of Pakistan and even more strengthened bilateral cooperation.
The prime minister also congratulated the Minister of Defense for the lifting of the prohibition.
At a meeting held at the Prime Minister’s office, Prime Minister Shehbaz praised the efforts of the Minister of Defense and his team, as well as the Aviation Division, for his dedicated work to achieve this diplomatic and operational advance.
“The resumption of Pakistani flights to the United Kingdom marks an extremely important achievement for the country,” said Prime Minister, noting that this step would greatly facilitate trips for the great Pakistani diaspora in the United Kingdom and would boost tourism between the two countries.
(With additional contributions from agencies)
