The Conundrum of PIA?
Ishtiaq Ahmed
Bradford: Pakistan International Airline (PIA) remains banned from flying to and from the UK. As readers may recall, PIA was banned in 2020 on safety grounds from flying to the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
This followed a major accident involving a PIA Airbus A-320 in Karachi, which tragically killed 100 people. At the time, the PTI’s aviation minister, Ghulam Sarwar, claimed that PIA pilots were operating with fraudulent licenses.
What was once the pride of the nation and the envy of many has been brought to its knees due to persistent political interference, poor business decisions, mismanagement of resources, and a lack of investment in the fleet. It is widely understood that PIA’s workforce continues to be disproportionate to its needs, and the organisation has been unable to reduce its excessive personnel liabilities due to politically motivated decisions.
In January 2025, PIA was granted the right to fly to Paris, which raised hopes of resuming flights to the UK. However, the latest decision by the UK Department for Transport to uphold the ban has dashed those hopes, dealing a major blow to PIA’s efforts to reinvent itself.
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The ban has cost the organisation approximately Rs 40 billion ($144 million) annually in lost revenue, raising serious doubts about its long-term survival. To offset some of the damage, PIA has employed a slot-leasing strategy, renting its Heathrow slots to Turkish Airlines, Vietnam Airlines, and Saudia Airlines in order to retain its prime landing rights while awaiting regulatory approval.
However, this strategy may now be in jeopardy due to the UK authorities’ decision to maintain PIA on their safety watchlist.
It is believed that the UK’s decision to keep PIA on the safety list follows a recent incident in which a PIA aircraft suffered a detached tire mid-flight.
The ban has been a major disappointment for the hundreds of thousands of British Pakistanis who had hoped for the return of direct flights.
The long and inconvenient indirect routes via Dubai, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, and other destinations over the past four years have resulted in lengthy flights, long transfer times, uncertain luggage transfers, and significant difficulties for the elderly, the sick, and families with children.
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One of the services PIA provided was assistance in repatriating the bodies of deceased individuals for burial in Pakistan. With PIA no longer flying from the UK and other European destinations, this essential service is no longer available, forcing families to pay exorbitant fares for repatriation with extended delays.
Even if landing rights were restored, PIA’s ageing fleet is in dire need of modernisation, with many planes long overdue for retirement.
To remain competitive in an increasingly crowded market, PIA would need to invest heavily in a modernised fleet to compete with airlines that have newer, more efficient aircraft. With mounting debts, this would be a difficult challenge to negotiate.
The challenges the organisation faces are immense, and political interference and indecision continue to hinder its progress.
Meanwhile, the government is pressing ahead with a fast-tracked plan to privatise PIA. According to the APP, the Cabinet Committee on Privatisation (CCOP) approved a fast-tracked plan for the privatisation of Pakistan International Airlines Corporation (PIACL), including the divestment of 51-100 per percent of its share capital along with management control.
The article is the writer’s opinion, it may or may not adhere to the organization’s editorial policy.
The author is a British citizen of Pakistani origin with a keen interest in Pakistani and international affairs.
