According to authorities, Pakistan International Airlines, the state-run airline, resumed strong flights to Europe on Friday following the agency’s determination to pull a four-year restrictions on security requirements.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif welcomed the commencement, saying it may help boost the firm’s image.
The journey from Islamabad to Paris was completely booked with more than 300 travellers, the flight said.
Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif gave the first of the twice-week planes and promised that PIA will soon expand its operations to other European nations.
Asif claimed in a statement that a previous aviation minister made an “irresponsible speech” that the European Union Aviation Safety Agency had ordered the restrictions on PIA’s functions to Europe.
After 97 folks died when a PIA aircraft crashed in Karachi, southern Pakistan, in 2020, a PIA ban was put in place. Almost a third of Pakistani aircraft allegedly cheated on their plane’s exams, according to then-Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan, according to an investigation into the fall. Eventually, a federal investigation determined that pilot error was the cause of the crash.
According to officials, the ban reportedly resulted in PIA losing nearly$ 150 million in revenue annually.
Even Friday, the second international flight from Gwadar, a new aircraft in southern Pakistan, departed for Muscat, federal authorities said. Foreign Premier Li Qiang inaugurated the Chinese-funded aircraft in October.
The airport, which is Pakistan’s largest, is located in restive Western Balochistan state and is a significant investment by Beijing that connects an Arabian Sea deep port and airport via path with China.
