Pakistani airlines likely to resume direct flights to UK soon
Wire desk byline Sourced from Xinhua, Dawn, Arab News, Anadolu and Minute Mirror. Translated and abridged by the GSRRA Desk.
UK’s Department for Transport team scheduled to arrive in Pakistan to conduct audit of aviation standards.
A seven-member team from the UK’s Department for Transport is scheduled to arrive in Pakistan today to conduct an audit of the country’s aviation standards, as part of efforts to restore Pakistani airlines’ flights to the UK, Express News reported.
Starting from Monday, the team will begin auditing the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA), covering several areas including licensing, airworthiness, flight standards, and other crucial aspects of aviation operations.
“We are ready to brief the British officials,” said Nadir Shafi Dar, Director General of PCAA, who will lead the local team during the audit. The audit will run from January 27 to February 6, 2025.
A successful audit could lead to the lifting of the restrictions imposed in 2020 on Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and all other Pakistani carriers, potentially allowing them to resume services to the UK.
In preparation for the audit, Pakistan’s civil aviation officials have made extensive arrangements. Staff have been instructed to report to work on Saturday, even though it is a holiday, to ensure the audit proceeds smoothly.
Pakistan has been eager to restore access to one of its key international markets, which was disrupted following the grounding of PIA flights by UK authorities over safety concerns in 2020. The outcome of this audit could significantly impact Pakistan’s aviation industry and its relationships with global regulators.
Reference Link:- https://tribune.com.pk/story/2524648/pakistani-airlines-likely-to-resume-direct-flights-to-uk-soon
Zamir Ahmed Awan is the founder and Chair of the Global Silk Route Research Alliance, a think tank in Islamabad. He studied engineering at Shanghai University in the 1980s, and years later he went back to China as Pakistan's science counsellor in Beijing, from 2010 until 2016, working on science and higher education cooperation between the two countries.…
