KARACHI: The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) concluded its meeting on Thursday to discuss the ban on Pakistani airlines’ operations in Europe. A high-level delegation from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), led by the CAA secretary, briefed the European agency in Brussels on the measures taken to restore flight operations to European countries, sources said.
The meeting, which started on May 14 and continued until May 16, involved the Pakistani delegation updating EASA on the steps implemented to resume flights to Europe. The delegation has now returned to Pakistan and will brief the authorities on the meeting’s details.
Last month, CAA Director General Khaqan Murtaza indicated that EASA might lift the restrictions on Pakistan following the safety review board meeting. If the ban is lifted, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flights to Europe and the UK will resume after a long hiatus, he added.
Notably, in November 2023, an EASA team visited Pakistan to evaluate various aspects of the CAA and PIA, including licensing, flight safety, flight standards, and airworthiness. EASA had imposed a ban on the national flag carrier’s operations following a PIA plane crash in Karachi in May 2020.
