Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will reinstate flight operations to the United Kingdom on Saturday, more than five years after restrictions over a forged pilot license were revoked in July.
The Islamabad–Manchester flight can fly to several other British cities, Pakistan’s High Commissioner to the UK, Mohammad Faisal, told the British media outlet.
Faisal noted that the complications that led to the suspension had been addressed, adding that the airline had worked to rebuild trust after the 2020 Karachi plane crash that killed 97 people and uncovered the use of bogus licenses among some pilots.
Officials disclosed that before the tragedy occurred, the pilots of the doomed aircraft were unfocused and engaged as they talked about the coronavirus while getting ready for the primary aborted attempt to land.
The government started criminal probing into almost 50 pilots, and at least five civil aviation officials who reportedly helped them obtain licences.
The investigation took almost three months after officials suspended several pilots from flying over supposedly questionable licences. Meanwhile, the civil aviation authorities had stated that it would initiate a detailed probing into the scandal.
The United Kingdom removed the ban in July to allow PIA to restart UK flights just as the federal government accelerated efforts to corporatise its national institution.
PIA had earlier estimated a yearly revenue loss of around 40 billion rupees ($144 million) due to the restriction.
The airline has long considered UK routes, including London, Manchester, and Birmingham, among its most revenue-generating, and holds valuable landing slots at London’s Heathrow Airport that could become active again.
“We have gone through a rigorous process of setting up a new system, which involves some external examiners and people who oversee the pilot licensing,” Pakistan’s High Commissioner said, talking to the British newspaper.
“Pakistani pilots are known all over the world, and they are flying planes in all the reputable airlines. They are very sought after. So we don’t have a pilot problem as such in Pakistan.”
