U.K. lifts years-long ban on Pakistani airlines after improvement in air safety standards

FILE -Ground staff work beside the state-run Pakistan International Airlines plane preparing to take-off for Paris after the airline resumes direct flights to Europe after EU lifted a four-year ban, at the Islamabad International Airport, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo), File)

ISLAMABAD — Britain has lifted a years-long ban on Pakistani airlines following improvements in the country’s aviation safety standards, the British diplomatic mission in Islamabad said Wednesday.

The U.K.’s Air Safety Committee imposed the ban after Pakistan’s aviation minister in June 2020 disclosed that nearly one-third of the country’s pilots had cheated on their licensing exams. The claim came after a Pakistan International Airlines crash killed 97 people on May 24, 2020, in the southern city of Karachi.

Wednesday’s announcement follows a broader international recognition of Pakistan’s efforts to improve air safety. Earlier this year, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency also lifted its five-year-long ban, allowing the national flag carrier Pakistan International Airlines to resume direct flights to Europe.

British High Commissioner Jane Marriott said that after “extensive engagement” between the U.K.’s Air Safety Committee and the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority, restrictions on Pakistani airlines have now been lifted. U.K. diplomatic missions in Commonwealth countries are known as high commissions and are equivalent to embassies.

However, Marriott said individual airlines will still need to apply for operating permits from the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority.

“I’m grateful to aviation experts in both the U.K. and Pakistan for their collaborative work to meet international safety standards,” she said. “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.”

The high commission emphasized that decisions on delisting countries or carriers from the U.K. Air Safety List are made through an independent safety process overseen by the Air Safety Committee.

With more than 1.6 million people of Pakistani heritage living in the U.K., and thousands of British nationals residing in Pakistan, it said the move will help families to reconnect and potentially boost bilateral trade ties.

Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif welcomed the decision.

Speaking at a televised news conference on Wednesday, he attributed the ban to what he described as “baseless” remarks made by former aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan. He said Khan’s claim tarnished the country’s image and triggered significant financial losses for Pakistan International Airlines.

Munir Ahmed, The Associated Press