EU refuses to lift ban on PIA, seeks safety audit of CAA

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has decided to retain a ban on the Pakistan International Airlines, saying it will not be lifted until a complete safety audit of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

In response to a request by PIA CEO Arshad Malik, wherein he sought temporary suspension of the ban, the EU agency said the CAA will have to fulfill the pre-conditions if it wanted the ban to be lifted.

Profit reported a letter by EASA as saying: “Regarding a lack of confidence in certification and oversight activities performed by the Pakistani CAA, which was the second aspect that led to the suspension of Third Country Operator Authorisation, the investigation performed by the European Commission and by the ICAO [International Civil Aviation Organization] has not yet been concluded.”

“Consequently, as all preconditions to lift the suspension are not met and, as an audit will be necessary, the agency decided not to revoke your Third Country Operator (TCO) authorisation but to extend the suspension period by additional three months.”

On Saturday, Ghulam Sarwar, the aviation minister, had claimed that the ban on PIA flights to Europe would be lifted soon. The EU banned the PIA flights in July after claims that the PIA pilots had fake licences.