Key points
- PIA resumes Europe operations after four years
- National flag carrier will operate across all of Europe
- PIA is looking to reintroduce flights to Copenhagen
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) announced on Friday that the national air carrier has resumed its Europe operations with a flight to Paris after the removal of a four-year ban by European regulators.
The PIA flight took off from Islamabad around 1240 pm heading for Paris, becoming the only carrier to offer a direct route to and from the European Union, according to local media.
After a gap years, #PIA is resuming our flights to #Paris #France from Jan 10, 2025.
Enjoy seemless travel experience with shortest travel times, unbeatable fares and a hospitality that reminds you of home pic.twitter.com/qmJDvr7wRf
— PIA (@Official_PIA) January 7, 2025
“This is the first time I am travelling with PIA,” Shumaila Rana, a 38-year-old school teacher living in Germany told AFP. “I’m nervous and I’m having a lot of anxiety, but I’m hoping it’s gonna be a good flight.”
The development comes after the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) lifted a four-year ban on the airline.
In November, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency announced it had lifted the ban, however it remains barred from flying in the United Kingdom and the United States.
The government of Pakistan hopes the opening of European routes, which officials expect will be followed by a similar announcement by the UK later this year, will boost its selling potential, according to AFP.
“Historic moment”
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif termed the resumption of flights to Europe as “a historic moment”, saying that gradually the national flag carrier will operate across all of Europe, Radio Pakistan reported.
The minister also expressed the resolve to restore the past prestige of PIA, emphasising the national flag carrier is our pride and identity.
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He said that PIA flights to the United Kingdom and the United States will also commence.
Significant development
The resumption of flights is being viewed as a very significant development. The spokesperson of PIA said that EASA expressed “complete satisfaction over the safety standards of PIA” and that arrangements are underway to resume PIA’s flights to other cities in the European countries.
The PIA is also looking to reintroduce flights to Copenhagen, Oslo, and Amsterdam as part of its broader strategy to rebuild its European network, according to local media.
The PIA was set up in 1955 when the government nationalised a loss-making commercial airline and enjoyed rapid growth until the 1990s. — with input from AFP.
