BRUSSELS, Feb 23: The European Union is set to ban most of Pakistan International Airlines’ fleet from flying to the 27-nation bloc because of safety concerns, an EU source said on Friday.

The source said a committee of experts had decided to block all but seven planes of the airline’s 40-plane fleet from flying to Europe for failing to meet international safety standards.

“Only those seven will be allowed to make flights to European Union countries,” the source said. “The rest of the fleet will be blacklisted.” The decision is likely to come into force in about 10 days, the source said.

State-run PIA declined to comment. “We cannot comment on this until we receive an official communication from the EU,” a PIA spokesman said in Karachi.—Agencies