RAWALPINDI: A team from the UK’s Department for Transport (DfT) and Civil Aviation Authority has started the audit of Pakistan’s aviation safety standards.

PIA flights to Europe re­­c­­­ently resumed after four years, but the ban on fli­ghts to the UK was yet to be lifted.

The audit would be another step in efforts to resume operations of Pakistani airlines to the UK, a spokesman for the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) said.

The four-member delegation, which arrived in Pakistan on Monday, is likely to inspect PIA’s compliance with international safety standards, said the spokesman.

Process expected to lead to resumption of flights

The team visited PCAA headquarters in Karachi and began the audit process.

The evaluation came after mont­­hs of preparatory meetings between Pakistani and British aviation authorities, said the spokesman.

The PCAA is hopeful about the outcome, citing extensive preparations regarding international aviation safety requirements.

The successful completion of the audit would pave the way for Pakistani airlines to resume direct flights to the UK.

The European Aviation Safety Agency (Easa) and the UK’s DfT banned Pakistani flights in 2020 after the then aviation minister claimed that almost 40 per cent of pilots of local airlines have “fake licenses”.

Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2025