News Desk
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is stuck in limbo as the United Kingdom dithers over lifting a flight ban that’s kept the beleaguered carrier out of British skies since June 2020. On Wednesday, PIA’s spokesperson threw cold water on swirling rumors of an extension, insisting, “No announcement has been made by the UK Department for Transport, nor has any letter been received.” Yet the silence from London speaks volumes, exposing Pakistan’s aviation sector as a persistent weak link despite glimmers of progress elsewhere.
The ban, slapped on after a deadly 2020 Karachi crash killed 97 and unmasked a scandal over fake pilot licenses, still stings. Europe’s aviation watchdog, EASA, gave PIA a green light last November, paving the way for its triumphant January return to Paris—complete with an Eiffel Tower-tailed Boeing 777. Pakistan hoped the UK would follow suit after a February DfT audit of PIA’s safety standards. But optimism’s fading fast. “All aviation institutions are in constant contact with them,” the spokesperson said, urging calm amid speculation.
This isn’t just about flights—it’s a blow to national pride and a cash-strapped economy. PIA’s a lifeline for the 1.2 million British Pakistanis craving direct routes to Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad. The ban’s forced them onto pricier, longer Gulf carrier detours, while PIA bleeds revenue—$144 million a year by some counts. Privatization’s the government’s big fix, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif fast-tracking a 51-to-100% stake sale by June. Last week’s Privatisation Commission nod was a step forward, but last October’s flop—when a lone bidder offered a measly Rs10 billion against an Rs85 billion floor—shows how toxic PIA’s reputation remains.
Pakistan’s aviation mess is self-inflicted. The 2020 license fiasco shredded trust, and while EASA’s satisfied, the UK’s playing hardball. A DfT delegation poked around PIA’s headquarters in February, greeted by Civil Aviation chief Nadir Shafi Dar, but their verdict’s still out. Meanwhile, militants targeting Chinese workers and a string of journalist abductions—like Waheed Murad’s this week—paint a picture of a country struggling to secure anything, let alone its skies. PIA’s Paris comeback was a rare win; the UK snub proves Pakistan’s still got a long way to climb out of this hole.
