Pakistan’s PIA says it's futile to appeal EU flight ban

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will not appeal against a six-month ban imposed by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on its flights to bloc members due to the dubious qualifications of its pilots.

PIA spokesman Abdullah Khan said that filing an appeal at this stage will be counter-productive.

Two civil aviation officials revealed that stakeholders agreed an appeal would be futile until regulatory reforms were implemented and a full investigation into the pilots’ scandal was completed.

Without appealing, the ban would remain in force until the end of 2020 when PIA was to implement a new business plan to make the company profitable by 2023.

The business plan is anchored on route rationalization, increasing flights, and adding new sectors like Amsterdam.

PIA was already struggling financially with over $4 billion in accumulated losses when flights were grounded in March because of the pandemic.

Upon resuming operations in May, a domestic PIA flight crash in Karachi killed 97 of 99 people on board.

An initial inquiry found that nearly a third of PIA’s pilots may have falsified their qualifications, prompting regulators such as EASA and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to ban PIA flights.

PIA had stopped flying commercially to the US before the ban, but had charter flights and was preparing to restart operations.

PIA's business plan set last year identified UK routes of London, Manchester, and Birmingham and new European destinations as key to its turnaround strategy.

Khan revealed that the expansion plans are now on hold and that it would consult with the International Air Transport Association in revising its turnaround strategy.