Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will suffer losses worth billions following the ban on flight operations in Europe, the United Kingdom (UK), and United States (US).
The suspension of flights to major Western countries came after the Federal Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan revealed that over 200 pilots in the country possess dubious licenses.
The poorly timed and ill-managed crackdown against the pilots with dubious licenses could cost the national airline Rs. 33 billion.
On the other hand, the suspension of Hajj operations due to coronavirus pandemic will also cause losses of Rs. 12 billion.
PIA operated regular flights to various destinations in the UK and Europe before the ban was placed. The week before, the national airline operated 23 flights to the UK, including ten flights to London, nine to Manchester, and four to Birmingham, whereas six flights went to different destinations in Europe.
The authorities are, however, trying to get the flight ban removed. On July 10, PIA CEO Arshad Malik called on Prime Minister Imran Khan and apprised him of the ongoing dialogue with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for the resumption of flight operations.
He also presented a comprehensive business plan to turn PIA into a profit-making entity. PM Khan directed the CEO to expedite the reform process of PIA and summoned the framework for the reform agenda within seven days.
