Web desk: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has announced that it will resume its regular flight operations to the United Kingdom (UK) after a gap of five years and three months.
The first flight is scheduled to take off from the federal capital, Islamabad, to Manchester tomorrow.
All necessary arrangements have been finalised at Islamabad International Airport, according to the reports. A large portrait of Manchester’s iconic architecture has also been installed there to mark the occasion.
A formal ceremony will be held at the airport as well tomorrow. The Defence Minister of Pakistan, Khawaja Asif, is expected to attend the event as the chief guest.
PIA’s air operations to the UK were suspended on July 1, 2020.
The suspension took place after the British authorities imposed a ban following a statement by the Aviation Minister of the time in the National Assembly regarding pilot license verification.
PIA UK Flights: Why Was Ban Imposed?
Aviation Minister of the time, Ghulam Sarwar Khan’s statement in the National Assembly regarding pilots holding “dubious” licences, a serious issue for Pakistan’s aviation industry, started.
The United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority announced the withdrawal of Pakistan International Airlines’ (PIA) permit to operate from three of its airports.
Additionally, the United Arab Emirates sought verification of credentials for Pakistani pilots and engineers.
A spokesperson for the UK authority told Reuters, Dawn reports, “PIA flights from Birmingham, London Heathrow and Manchester airports are suspended with immediate effect.”
These three airports had been among the airline’s key international destinations.
At the same time, the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) sought confirmation of the credentials of Pakistani aviation professionals after Pakistan grounded 262 pilots over “dubious” qualifications.
In a letter dated June 29, GCAA Director General Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi requested Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) Director General Hassan Nasir Jamy to verify the licences of Pakistani pilots, aircraft maintenance engineers, and flight operations officers working in the UAE.
The letter read, “We would like to request your good offices to verify the licensing credentials of the attached pilots list who are currently holding the UAE’s pilots licences based on licences and qualifications issued by PCAA.”
