Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) said on Sunday it expects to resume European routes again soon.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) suspended PIA's authorisation to operate in the EU in June 2020 after Pakistan began investigating the validity of pilots' licenses following a deadly plane crash that killed 97 people. The EASA also had concerns about the ability of Pakistani authorities and its Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) to ensure compliance with international aviation standards.

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) said on Sunday it expects to resume European routes soon and is eyeing several UK destinations after the EU aviation regulator lifted its bar on the flag carrier.

"EASA has now re-established sufficient confidence in the PCAA oversight capabilities," an EASA spokesperson said in a statement emailed to Reuters.

It said that the decision to authorise PIA to perform commercial air transport operations to, from and within the EU was based on the "significant efforts" made by the PCAA.

Pakistan had grounded 262 of the country's 860 pilots, including 141 of PIA's 434, whose licences the then aviation minister termed "dubious". The investigation ultimately did not reveal any major concerns, but the suspension remained in place.

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PIA spokesman Abdullah Hafeez Khan told Reuters, ‘Once PIA gets approval for UK flights, Khan said London, Manchester, and Birmingham would be the most sought-after destinations.

Khan said the company has sufficient cash flow to add new routes. Decisions on leasing new aircraft will be made after the government finalises privatisation discussions, he said.

PIA and the government, which is aiming to sell a 60% stake in the carrier, had urged EASA to lift the ban, even provisionally. The ban cost the airline 40 billion rupees ($144 million) annually in revenue.

According to the Economic Times India, The loss-making national carrier has a 23% stake in Pakistan's domestic aviation market, but its 34-plane fleet can't compete with Middle Eastern carriers which hold a 60% market share, due to a lack of direct flights, despite having agreements with 87 countries and key landing slots.

In 2020, the US Federal Aviation Administration downgraded Pakistan's air safety rating to category 2. This meant that Pakistani airlines could not establish new services to the United States or codeshare with US airlines. 

PAKISTAN INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES (PIA) SAFETY RATING

AirlineRatings has rated the safety of the airline as a 1/7 for the past 4 years. Now the bans against the airline are lifted by EASA this has changed to a 2/7.