RAWALPINDI:A team of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is expected to visit Pakistan by the end of this month or early next month to carry out safety audit of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and PIA prior to allowing flights from Pakistan to European countries.

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) was able to remove the significant safety concerns raised against Pakistan personnel licensing following the on-site Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme activities, performed in Pakistan from Nov 29 to Dec 10, 2021.

Pakistani carriers had beenrestrictedfrom flying to European Union states in July 2020 when the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) suspended Pakistan International Airlines’ (PIA) authorization to operate flights to EU member states.

The national flag carrier’s hopes of restarting flights to EU states faded when the EASA conveyed to CEO PIA Arshad Malik in January 2022 that it would conduct its own evaluation before allowing resumption of flights from Pakistan.

In a letter, EASA Executive Director Patrick Ky had said that although Pakistan was able toremove the safety concernsraised by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), this was only part of the process that would lead to a lifting of restrictions on Pakistani airlines.

In his correspondence with the PIA chief, Mr Ky noted that it was encouraging that “ICAO was able to remove the significant safety concerns… raised against Pakistan personnel licensing following the on-site Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme activities, performed in Pakistan from Nov 29 to Dec 10, 2021.”

However, he pointed out that since the safety concerns indicated “serious degradation of the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority’s (PCAA) certification and oversight capabilities,” EASA would have to obtain information on the matter for lifting the suspension.

Earlier the spokesperson for PIA had said that PIA is continuously engaged with EASA ever since the suspension of TCO authorizations in the wake of licensing issues. EASA had set clearance of the ICAO audit of PCAA as a precondition for the review of their decision which fortunately has been achieved.

Director General Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority Khaqan Murtaza told Dawn that EASA has nothing to do with the regulator Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority because several concerns had already been resolved during the ICAO’s recent visit.

The DG said ICAO has sent the draft of its report.

However, the final report is awaited. “We will submit our replies to the ICAO within next eight to 10 days and hoped that their final report would be issued to all concerned which would satisfy EASA.

Published in Dawn, March 11th, 2022