PIA banned from flying to Europe for 6 months

PIA 777 landing at Heathrow
PIA 777 landing at Heathrow

Pakistan International Airlines (PK/PIA) has been banned from flying into Europe after the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) suspended their authorisation to operate for 6 months.

The move comes after it emerged that hundreds of pilots flying for the airline had “dubious” licences with over 260 being suspended.

A spokesperson for Pakistan International Airlines said: “EASA has temporarily suspended PIA’s authorization to operate to the EU member states for a period of 6 months effective July 1, 2020 with the right to appeal against this decision,”

PIA flies to most European capitals including Paris Charles De Gaulle, Rome Fiumicino and Amsterdam. In the UK, PIA flies to London Heathrow, Birmingham and Manchester.

The airline has not said whether it intends to appeal the decision but confirmed it would be suspending all European flights temporarily.