The PIA has resumed Lahore-Paris flight five years following the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) lifting of the ban on its operations in Europe.
The UK authorities and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) had suspended authorisation for PIA to fly in the region in June 2020 after Pakistan initiated an inquiry into the authenticity of pilots’ licences after a fatal plane crash in Karachi that had taken the lives of 97 individuals.
After the lift of the ban on PIA by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in November last year, the national carrier had resumed Islamabad-Paris flights earlier this year.
“We can now operate for any European destination (except the UK) after the removal of the ban by the EASA. It is, however, subject to traffic on certain routes in Europe,” said a senior Pakistan International Airlines official.
He added the PIA was also optimistic that its flight operation for the UK would be resumed in a few months too.
A weekly flight PK-733 left Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport on Wednesday for Paris, France, carrying 276 passengers.
The PIA has been flying two weekly flights between Islamabad and Paris since January this year.
A PIA spokesperson stated that the airline used a Boeing 777 aircraft on this route, featuring a newly refurbished cabin interior to enhance passenger comfort. The airline also organized a ceremony at Allama Iqbal International Airport to celebrate the occasion.
When PIA resumed the Islamabad-Paris flight last January, many criticized the national carrier for an advertisement showing one of its aircraft flying toward the Eiffel Tower. Critics felt the image was insensitive and evoked memories of the 9/11 attacks.
