• Flight carrying 313 passengers reaches Paris
• PM congratulates nation, says overseas Pakistanis will benefit from direct flights

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) resumed flights to Europe on Friday, marking the end of a four-and-a-half-year ban impo­sed by EU regulators following a pilot licence scandal and a deadly crash in Karachi.

PIA’s inaugural flight PK749 (Boeing 777) departed Islamabad International Airport at around 12:40pm, heading to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, where weather conditions were clear. The flight carried 313 passengers, while 309 are scheduled to return from Paris to Islamabad.

Onboard the inaugural flight were several key officials, including the CEO, chief commercial officer, PIA spokesperson, deputy general manager (Brand and Public Affairs), chief HR officer and chief technical officer, among others.

At the airport, which was beautifully decorated, all immigration counters were activated to facilitate passengers travelling on the inaugural flight to Paris.

“This is the first time I am travelling with PIA,” AFP quo­ted passenger Shumaila Rana, as saying. “I’m nervous and I’m having a lot of anxiety, but I’m hoping it’s gonna be a good fli­ght,” said the 38-year-old school teacher living in Germany.

According to aviation sources, the flight landed in Paris at 4:40pm local time.

After a long wait, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) announced in November 2024 the lifting of the ban on Pakistani airlines operating in EU countries.

However, clearance to fly in Britain and the United States remains pending. PIA has approached the UK’s Department for Transport to seek approval for resuming flights to London, Manchester and Birmingham.

The EASA imposed a ban on Pakistani airlines flying to Europe in June 2020, following a tragic crash in Karachi that killed nearly 100 people, as well as statements from the then aviation minister regarding the pilot licence scandal.

PM congratulates nation

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated the nation on departure of PIA’s first flight to Paris after the lifting of EASA ban on its flights to European countries. In a statement, he said the restoration of PIA flights to Europe will facilitate the overseas Pakistanis as they will benefit from the direct flights.

He noted that due to suspension of flights, the national flag carrier had to incur huge losses worth billions of dollars and also had to lose its reputation. “By the grace of Allah Almighty, the incumbent government has restored the identity of the national airlines,” the prime minister said. After restoration of flights to Europe, PIA will move towards news development and progress, he added.

In this regard, he said Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Aviation Minister Khawaja Asif, the relevant departments and their officers and staff deserved appreciation.

Mr Asif, who inaugurated the departure of PIA’s flight to Paris, called restoration of flights to Europe a “major value addition” that would make PIA more attractive to potential buyers.

This significant milestone marks PIA’s renewed presence in one of the most important international aviation markets, he added.

Addressing the gathering at the airport, Mr Asif commended PIA’s management for their efforts in achieving this milestone and highlighted the strategic importance of restoring operations to Paris and the EU.

Published in Dawn, January 11th, 2025