Pakistan; State-run Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) resumed direct flights to Europe on Friday after the European Union’s aviation safety agency lifted a four-year ban due to safety concerns. Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif officially launched the twice-weekly flights to Paris and assured that PIA plans to expand its services to more European destinations in the near future.

The flight from Islamabad was fully booked, with over 300 passengers on board, according to the airline. In his speech, Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif explained that the European Union Aviation Safety Agency had imposed the ban on PIA due to an “irresponsible statement” made by a former aviation minister. The restriction was enforced in 2020 after a tragic crash in Karachi that claimed 97 lives. Following the incident, then-Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan claimed an investigation revealed that nearly a third of Pakistani pilots had falsified their exams. However, a subsequent government inquiry concluded that the crash was primarily caused by pilot error.

The ban resulted in an estimated loss of nearly $150 million annually in revenue for PIA, according to officials. Meanwhile, the first international flight from Gwadar, a newly opened airport in southwestern Pakistan, was set to depart later on Friday. Inaugurated by Chinese Premier Li Qiang in October, the Chinese-funded airport is Pakistan’s largest and is located in the volatile Balochistan province. It is part of a significant investment by Beijing, linking a deep seaport and airport on the Arabian Sea to China via an extensive road network.