PIA plans to lease London Heathrow slots to Saudia

Pakistan International Airlines’ (PIA) efforts to comply with safety standards have not yet convinced the United Kingdom (UK) to open its doors to the airline. As such, PIA has reportedly contacted Airport Coordination Limited (ACL) to lease out two of its slots which it still holds at London Heathrow.

According to reports, the slots will pass on to Saudia, formerly known as Saudi Arabian Airlines, which will run flight operations using PIA’s slots during Summer 2025. The decision surrounding PIA’s eligibility to operate flights to the UK rests with the UK’s Department for Transport and Civil Aviation Authority.

The aforementioned entity carried out an examination of Pakistan’s aviation security protocols and is expected to disclose its decision regarding PIA’s eligibility by the middle of March 2025.

Pakistan’s consideration to lease out these slots indicates a lack of confidence in regaining flying rights to the UK. This is because according to the time frame, PIA could operate flights a month before it actually leases the slots over to Saudia.

Currently, PIA is leasing out its slots to obtain monetary gains as it can’t fly to and from the airport during those slots. Various airlines such as Turkish Airlines, Saudia and Vietnam Airlines have been renting the slots from PIA to expand the scope of their own operations in the UK market.

PIA has been relying on this tactic to keep landing rights to Heathrow airport while it waits for the relevant regulatory authorities to give it the green light for the resumption of flight operations.

After PIA flight 8303 crashed in Karachi, the company lost the rights to fly to various high traffic destinations such as the UK, United States (USA), Canada and the European Union (EU). Aviation Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif recently conceded that the national carrier had lost “hundreds of billions” of rupees over the past four and a half years because of these profitable routes remaining closed off to Pakistani airlines.

The moratorium in PIA’s services to Europe came about as a direct consequence of a post-crash speech by then-minister Ghulam Sarwar, who had claimed without any evidence that a staggering 40 percent of PIA’s pilots were flying with fraudulent licenses. Mr. Sarwar’s speech detrimentally impacted the airlines credibility and the airline lost its goodwill with customers which it had earned over the years.

The Pakistani national carrier was recently able to comply with the safety standards of the European Union Aviation Safety Standards (EUASA) after four grueling years. However, the airline is still not allowed to operate flights to the UK and USA.

Not all hope is lost for PIA though as reports have revealed that the airline intends to take back its leased slots for its own flights if restrictions are removed.