UK lifts ban on Pakistani airlines following 'safety improvements'

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 on Wednesday.

- Tariq Butt | Agencies

Flag carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) was barred from flying to Britain in June 2020, a month after one of its aircraft plunged into a Karachi street, killing nearly 100 people.

The disaster was attributed to human error by the pilots and air traffic control, and was followed by allegations that nearly a third of the licences for its pilots were fake or dubious.

The UK Air Safety Committee had decided to lift the ban following aviation safety improvements in Pakistan, the British High Commission in Islamabad said, adding that decisions on de-listing states and air carriers were made “through an independent aviation safety process.”

"Based on this independent and technically-driven process, it has decided to remove Pakistan and its air carriers from the (UK Air Safety) List,” it said in a statement. The move comes after European regulators lifted a four-year ban on PIA, with the Pakistani state-owned carrier resuming flights to Europe in January.

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif welcomed the lifting of the ban as “an important milestone for the country.”

“The lifting of the ban on Pakistani flights by the UK is a source of relief for Pakistanis residing in Britain,” he added in a statement.