In November last year, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency officially lifted its ban on Pakistan International Airlines, clearing the airline to reopen services within the European Union (EU). That approval was acted on last week when the airline operated its first flight to Europe since 2020, landing in Paris on Friday, January 10, 2025.

A start on the road to redemption

On January 10, Pakistan International Airlines flight PK749 departed Islamabad International Airport (ISB) at 12:40 and, after an eight-hour flight, arrived at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) at 16:40. The service was operated with a 2000 Boeing 777-200ER registration AP-BGK and MSN 33776 that departed Paris at 20:32 and arrived in Islamabad at 07:24 on Saturday.

Pakistan International Airlines return to Paris 2025

EASA suspended Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) authorization to operate in the EU in June 2020. EASA made the decision because it was concerned about the ability of Pakistani aviation authorities to ensure compliance with international standards, with the United Kingdom and the United States aviation authorities making the same decision.

Pakistan International Airlines Boeing 777-200LR

Photo: Minh K Tran | Shutterstock

No Pakistani clearance yet from the UK and US regulators

This last distinction is important because while the EU has reopened its skies to PIA, the UK or US regulators have not yet granted the same clearance. Until that happens, PIA cannot resume flying to the UK or the US, although that didn’t stop 24NewsHD reporting on January 2 that the airline will resume direct operations to the UK in February.

The outlet said its “sources” had disclosed a team from the UK’s Department of Transport would visit Pakistan from January 15 to 17. It also reported that the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority had accepted a request for an exemption from the security audit and that the audit of PIA and Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority would “now only be a formality.”

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4 Years Later: EASA Lifts Flight Ban On Pakistan International Airlines

PIA has demonstrated that it meets international safety requirements.

Pakistan International Airlines held a roadshow in Paris after the first flight arrived, attended by Pakistani nationals and travel agents from all over France and Europe. According to a report in Arab News, PIA said the Pakistani community demanded that the airline operate flights to other European cities as well and that after the start of the Paris service, “a clear decrease is being observed in the fares of other airlines operating to Pakistan.”

A Pakistan International Airlines Boeing 777 wide-body passenger plane taxiing on Manchester International Airport.

Photo: jremes84 | Shutterstock

The airline added that, based on the feedback it received at the roadshow, it will improve its service quality and meet customers’ expectations. At the event, PIA Chief Commercial Officer Nausherwan Adil offered an intriguing reply:

“Compatriots living abroad have given PIA a response beyond expectations. PIA will expand its network in Europe on a commercial basis.”

The only mention of the resumption of services to the UK was in the Arab News report and related to the airline’s privatization and sale. The report said that the Pakistani government hopes the opening of European routes, which the officials expect will be followed by a similar announcement by the UK later this year, will boost PIA’s selling potential.

Pakistan International Airlines Boeing 777

The Pakistani government has made it very clear that it wants to privatize the debt-ridden airline and has moved mountains to try and find a willing buyer at a price it deems acceptable. The report said that a promising deal collapsed late last year after a potential buyer reportedly offered a fraction of the government’s asking price.

It is unsurprising that buyers are not queueing up, given that the airline employs more than 7,000 people and has long been accused of being bloated and poorly managed, with unpaid bills, a poor safety record and regulatory issues. In 2023, the airline posted losses of $270 million, and its liabilities were nearly $3 billion, around five times the worth of its assets.

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