ISLAMABAD – The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has extended the ban against Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to resume its operations in European countries.
According to media reports, EASA’s decision to extend the ban is connected to the Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) failure to take necessary measures as pointed out by the EU Commission.
The commission, in response to the report submitted by Pakistani officials on May 31, has called on the national carrier to appoint officers with professional qualifications in civil aviation.
It was expected that the flight operation might resume soon; however, the latest findings by the body highlight that the national carrier might have to wait longer before taking off for Europe.
The only positive development in this regard is that the case of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and other domestic operators in the country has been referred to the Third Country Operators (TCO) board which will discuss the matter in a few days.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) suspended the authorization for the PIA to operate in European Union member countries in 2020; the ban was announced after multiple crash incidents and a statement by the then minister about fake licenses acquired by the national flag carrier’s pilots.
EASA said that they had suspended the Third Country Operator (TCO) Authorisation to PIA after it failed to comply with the proposed corrective action plans (CAPs).
At least six findings were raised with the PIA officials during meetings in June and September 2019, out of which five of the action plans were implemented while one other concerning element of a Safety Management System was not implemented.
Interestingly, the caretaker regime had decided in principle to privatize the national carrier for which a consultant was also hired and efforts have been ramped up to finalize the privatization.
