KARACHI- Recently, Pakistan International Airlines (PK), or PIA allowed to operate flights to Europe after the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) lifted the ban and now it expects the same from the United States (US) and eyes New York Flights with Boeing 777 fleet.
According to reports, PIA will restart flights to Paris, Milan, and Manchester immediately. PIA is also considering resuming services to Copenhagen, Oslo, and Amsterdam in the coming months. Before the EASA ban, PIA operated routes to several European cities, including Birmingham, Bradford, Barcelona, and London.
Defense and Aviation Minister Khawaja Asif highlighted the airline’s recent performance, emphasizing that Pakistani airlines have completed multiple international safety audits.
He noted that recent evaluations ranked Pakistani carriers favorably compared to global airlines.
Following this PIA anticipates that it will be allowed by major aviation markets to allow it to resume and launch new non-stop flights.
On July 1, 2020, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) banned Pakistan International Airlines from operating flights to the U.S. This decision followed a similar suspension imposed by the European Union.
The impact of this suspension on PIA was minimal. The airline had already stopped flying to the U.S. before the COVID-19 pandemic. PIA’s U.S. operations, which spanned over 50 years, came to an end in October 2017. At its peak, the airline flew to Chicago (ORD), Houston (IAH), and New York (JFK), Washington D.C. (IAD).
In the years leading up to the suspension of U.S. flights, PIA faced operational hurdles. The airline could no longer operate nonstop flights from Pakistan to the U.S. Instead, flights were routed through Manchester, where passengers underwent additional security screenings. This operational model reportedly cost PIA US$12 million annually while operating just two weekly flights to New York.
Despite halting its U.S. flights, PIA had been working on plans to restart service. The airline underwent a series of security audits over the past year and reportedly passed most of these assessments. By late 2019, PIA aimed to relaunch nonstop flights to the U.S. in May 2020.
However, the global decline in travel demand, exacerbated by the pandemic, likely would have delayed these plans regardless of the ban.
PIA plans to resume flights to New York upon receiving approval from the United States. Six Boeing 777 aircraft are being allocated for operations to Europe, the UK, and the US.
According to the previous flight schedule, PIA used to operate 23 international destinations across 14 countries in Asia, Europe, and North America before the pandemic. Most of these routes remain shut.
Over the years, the PIA has operated flights to around 100 domestic and international destinations. But currently, it’s at one of its lowest phases, operating only a few dozen international and domestic routes.
It will be interesting to see how things will work as EASA lifted a ban after 4 years. This will help the carrier get better financial value as it aims to privatize the national carrier. If you haven’t read our special article on why flag carriers are privatizing in the Indian subcontinent please do.
If allowed by the US, the PIA can immediately start flights to New York as many Pakistanis reside in the New York region. Also, they can resume flights to previously served destinations such as Chicago, Houston, and Washington.
