UK transport department retains PIA on air safety list

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Pakistan International Airlines is on the UK (UK) Air Safety List as the Department of Transport has maintained existing sanctions.

In a statement, a spokesman for the department said that the UK Civil Aviation Authority is in touch with Pakistani authorities regarding the matter.

Transport Department told Geo News: “All Pakistani air carriers are on the UK airline list. We are engaged with the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority, about their status, Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority engaged with the Airlines and Airlines is already there.”

The UK Air Safety List is a published list of countries and airlines that are subject to operating ban on security grounds, and as well as the UK, cannot fly aircraft.

An official website in the UK states that a UK’s official website reported that Pakistan’s regulatory surveillance was reported on a UK’s official website on all air carriers certified by authorities.

Meanwhile, official sources in Pakistan told Geo News that the UK Air Safety Authority has postponed its decision to lift sanctions on Pakistan’s national career.

It was expected that the authority would announce its decision after the audit on March 20, but was later resettled on March 25. However, the decision is now further delayed.

Government insiders added that the postponement was related to a PIA plane incident, where a tire separated the middle flight.

World Air Safety officials and Airbus were investigating the matter. He added that the decision will remain until the investigation is completed.

Separately, Nadir Shafi Dar, director general of the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), said he did not receive any written response from British authorities to ban PIA flight.

In a statement, Dar said the CAA is still waiting for the response of British authorities.

A National Airline spokesman said that after lifting sanctions in Europe, Pakistan is now awaiting a “positive response” from the UK.

Last week, it was reported that a national career ban on the flight to the UK would be lifted soon when the British Air Safety Committee concluded an important meeting on the matter.

The ban was imposed by British and European aviation officials in July 2020 following the fake pilot license scandal. However, Pakistani authorities hoped that the sanctions will be lifted after tomorrow’s review.

In 2020, during the Pakistan Tehreek -e -Insaf (PTI) government, then aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan claimed that the pilots were operating aircraft with fake licenses.

PIA’s Airbus A-320s was a reaction after falling into the street of Karachi, killing about 100 people.

Subsequently, the PIA suffering from debt was banned from going to the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The ban cost the annual income of Rs 40 billion ($ 144 million).

In January 2025, after a year -long break, the PIA opened its first direct flight from Islamabad to Paris, and resumed long wait flights to Europe.

Looking at British operations, PIA spokesman Abdullah Hafiz Khan said that once DFT, London, Manchester, and Birmingham were cleared.

The PIA has 23 % of Pakistan’s domestic aviation market, but its 34 aircraft fleet cannot compete with Middle Eastern carriers, which is 60 %, due to lack of direct flights, despite agreeing with 87 countries and key landing slots.