The United Kingdom has lifted the ban on Pakistani airlines from using its airspace, with the Asian country’s carriers having been on the European nation’s no-fly list for just over five years. Most notably, this will allow Pakistani flag carrier Pakistan International Airlines ( PIA) to fly to the UK once again, with a fake pilot license scandal at the operator having played a key role in the initial instatement of the ban.
The news comes less than a year after a similar relaxation by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency ( EASA), which opened its skies to airlines from Pakistan once again at the end of 2024. With Pakistan International Airlines having long been mulling a return to the UK, where almost two million people of Pakistani heritage currently reside, this could end up providing a key financial boost to the carrier.
PIA & Other Pakistani Airlines Can Use UK Airspace Once Again
As reported earlier by Reuters, the British High Commission in Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan, has confirmed that the United Kingdom has lifted the ban on Pakistani airlines from using its airspace, following just over five years on the no-fly list for the Asian country. The move comes, Reuters notes, as a result of concerted efforts and safety improvements on the part of Pakistani aviation authorities.
This news represents a coup for flag carrier Pakistan International Airlines, for whom the UK is a key market on account of its large Pakistani diaspora. Of course, it won’t simply be able to restart flights to the country overnight, but there is already considerable anticipation for when this might occur. Commenting on the recent relaxation, British High Commissioner Jane Marriott is quoted by AP News as saying:
“I’m grateful to aviation experts in both the UK and Pakistan for their collaborative work to meet international safety standards. While it will take time for flights to resume, once the logistics are in place, I look forward to using a Pakistani carrier when visiting family and friends.”
Why Were Pakistani Airlines Banned From The UK?
According to The Economic Times, the United Kingdom first imposed a ban on Pakistani airlines like PIA from using its airspace in June of 2020. This came in the aftermath of a crash involving a Pakistan International Airlines Airbus A320, where almost 100 people died after the narrowbody twinjet came down in a residential area in Karachi. The subsequent investigation revealed a major scandal at PIA.
Indeed, with the initial report into the accident suggesting that the crash had been caused by pilot error, it later arose that, following a probe into Pakistan International Airlines, the carrier had a serious issue with fake pilot licenses. As a result of this, some 150 pilots at the airline were grounded after having been found to either have cheated on their licensing exams or to have been holding fake documents.
This resulted in aviation safety agencies around the world putting not just Pakistan International Airlines itself but, indeed, all Pakistani carriers on their respective no-fly lists due to the alarming safety inadequacies highlighted by the investigation. However, in November of 2024, the EU lifted its ban, with PIA’s first flight to Europe in almost five years setting off from Islamabad to Paris on January 10, 2025.
Related
Pakistan International Airlines Restarts Paris Flights Following EU Ban Lift
EASA banned Pakistan International Airlines from operating flights to the EU in June 2020.
PIA Is Ready To Return To What Is A Key Market
Being banned from the UK had an adverse financial impact on PIA, with Reuters noting that the carrier was losing around $144 million in revenue a year as a result of not being allowed to serve a market where over 1.6 million people of Pakistani heritage live. Still, the EU’s relaxation gave PIA high hopes of a UK resumption.
Indeed, Simple Flying reported after PIA’s Paris relaunch that it was also eyeing flights to UK destinations such as London and Manchester, with a separate article noting that the US was also under consideration. According to Reuters, PIA has submitted its proposed schedules for the resumption of its flights to and from the UK, which would see, among others, three weekly Islamabad-Manchester services.
