The United Kingdom on Wednesday removed Pakistan from its Air Safety List, thereby allowing Pakistani airlines to now apply to operate flights to the UK, according to a statement from the British High Commission in Islamabad.

Debt-ridden Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) was banned from flying to the European Union, UK and the United States in June 2020, a month after one of its Airbus A-320s plunged into Karachi’s Model Colony, killing nearly 100 people. The ban on operating to Europe was lifted in November last year.

Today’s development comes after a team from the UK Department for Transport concluded an aviation security ins­pection at Islamabad Inter­nat­ional Airport on Thursday, declaring Pakistan’s security arrangements “satisfactory and in line with international standards”.

“Following air safety improvements, the UK’s Air Safety Committee has lifted UK restrictions on Pakistani carriers,” said a statement from the British High Commission.

“Individual airline carriers will still need to apply for permits to operate to the UK through the UK Civil Aviation Authority.”

British High Commissioner Jane Marriott was quoted as saying: “I’m grateful to aviation experts in the UK and Pakistan for their collaborative work to drive improvements 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.”

In a post on X, Marriott called the approval “an important step, and a testament” to PIA’s air safety improvements.

Decisions on de-listing states and air carriers from the UK Air Safety List are made through an........

© Dawn Business