PIA flights to UK to resume by October: Ishaq Dar

July 31, 2023 (MLN): The flights of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to the United Kingdom (UK) would resume by October, said the Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Ishaq Dar on Sunday at the Senate of Pakistan.

Ishaq Dar during his speech highlighted that Pakistan’s aviation laws were not up to international requirements and all the necessary amendments have now been made.

Dar also praised Aviation Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique as well as the Aviation Division for their efforts to restore international flight operations.

The finance minister also took aim at the former aviation minister Khawaja Saad Rafique and said his statement regarding the license of pilots resulted in a massive loss of Rs71 billion each year to the national exchequer.

Of the total loss, Rs59bn resulted from terms closure of UK flights and the remaining Rs12bn each year for flights to Europe and America.

“UK flights are the most profitable ones, while in other international flights there is less space for profit,” Dar said.

The final inspection would be completed in August and by October, the flights to the United Kingdom would be resumed -provided Pakistan promulgates its amended law, as per the Minister’s understanding with international authorities.

The aforementioned development will help revive the loss of Rs59bn pertaining to UK flights.

To note, PIA is currently flying to 25 countries across Asia, Europe and North America, and to 24 cities within Pakistan.

In 2020, European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) suspended Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight operations for Europe due to safety concerns.

UK Parliament, Naz Shah in order to resume direct flights to Pakistan took significant steps and in this regard, the MP wrote a letter to the Secretary of State for Transport of the United Kingdom, Mark Harper to permit direct flights between the two countries.

Lawmaker in May 2023 emphasized that around 2,70,000 Pakistanis residing in the UK are affected by the flight disruption between the two countries.

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