• Prohibition is imposed due to false pilot license scandal.
• Pakistani authorities are hoping for a positive decision.
• Pia resumed its Europe operations in January.

Karachi: A crucial meeting of the British Air Safety Committee must take place on March 20 to review the five -year ban on Pakistan’s national airline and other carriers, according to Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) officials.

The committee will assess the matter of all Pakistani airlines – including Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) – and aware of the possibility of lifting restrictions.

The ban was enforced in July 2020 by the British and European aviation authorities after the false pilot license scandal. However, Pakistani authorities continue to be hopeful that the restrictions will be lifted after tomorrow’s notification.

By 2020, under Pakistan Tehreek-E-Insaf (PTI) government, the then Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan claimed that pilots were operating aircraft with false licenses.

This was his answer after Pias Airbus A-320s threw himself into a Karachi street and killed almost 100 people.

After this, the debt -written Pia was forbidden to fly to the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The ban cost the loss -making airline RS40 billion ($ 144 million) annually in revenue.

In January 2025, after years of Hiatus, Pia drove his first direct flight from Islamabad to Paris and resumed his long -awaited flights to Europe.

When he looks at UK operations, Pia spokesman Abdullah Hafeez Khan said that London, Manchester and Birmingham when they were aware of DFT, London, Manchester and Birmingham.

Pia has 23% of Pakistan’s domestic aviation market, but its 34-plan fleet cannot compete with Middle Eastern airlines that have 60% due to lack of direct flights, despite having agreements with 87 countries and central landing places.