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ISLAMABAD, Jul 16 (APP):Minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif while welcoming the United Kingdom’s Air Safety Committee decision on Wednesday, termed the removal of Pakistan’s name from the British Air Safety List (ASL) as an important milestone.
Addressing a press conference, the minister said Pakistan achieved this milestone under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The lifting of the ban reflects growing international confidence in the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority’s compliance with global safety standards, he said.
He said that the UK has now allowed Pakistan’s national airline and other private carriers to once again apply for permission to operate direct flights. “Pakistan will apply for an operating licence to resume direct flights to the UK,” he said.
Although there was no formal ban on PIA’s direct flights to New York, the minister said efforts were also underway to resume direct flights to New York and other destinations.
Khawaja Asif criticized an irresponsible statement by then-Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government for triggering the ban on PIA operations in European countries and the UK. Ghulam Sarwar’s remarks caused irreparable damage to the reputation of both PIA and Pakistan, he added.
He said that the ban also resulted in financial losses amounting to billions of rupees for the national flag carrier and negatively affected the country’s global image.
The minister appreciated the continuous and tireless efforts of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), PIA, and other officials, especially Khawaja Saad Rafique, in working to lift the ban on Pakistani airline operations in the UK.
Khawaja Asif also expressed gratitude to European and British aviation regulators for their guidance and support in helping Pakistan address safety concerns and meet international standards.
He said that the decision would also ease travel for the estimated 1.6 million overseas Pakistanis living in the UK and Europe.
Looking ahead, the minister said the government was moving towards the privatization of PIA, expressing confidence that the lifting of the ban would help maximize the proceeds from the airline’s sale. He said that all international routes of PIA would be restored.
In response to a question, he said that various consortium had shown interest in the PIA privatization process.
It is worth mentioning that the UK and European aviation authorities imposed a ban on PIA flights in July 2020 following the fake pilot licence scandal. At the time, then-aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan had claimed that a number of pilots were flying with fraudulent licences.