The Embassy of Pakistan in France announced on Monday that Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plans to resume its regular flights to Paris, marking its return to the European Union.
This became possible after the European Commission decided to remove the airline from the list of banned carriers within the EU, citing that both PIA and the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) have made «substantial progress in improving safety performance and oversight capabilities.»
PIA will operate two weekly flights (Fridays and Sundays) between Islamabad (ISB) and Paris (CDG) starting January 10, 2025.
«The direct flights between Pakistan and France will facilitate travel and contribute to enhancing business, tourism, family visits, and people-to-people contacts«, stated an announcement posted on the official Twitter account of the embassy. «Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad held a meeting with the PIA marketing representative to discuss preparations for the flight to be operational in January 2025«, it added.
Good news – Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to resume operation to Paris. Direct flights between 🇵🇰🇫🇷 will facilitate travel & contribute towards enhancing business, tourism, family visits and people-people contacts. Amb @Asimiahmad held a meeting with PIA marketing rep… pic.twitter.com/L2ZUtzifEA
— Pakistan Embassy France (@PakinFrance) December 15, 2024
Nevertheless, Pakistan’s state-owned airline faces operational challenges, with nearly half of its fleet grounded due to a lack of spare parts. Earlier this year, a privatization attempt failed, attracting only a bid of PKR 10 billion, well below the reserve price. This led to the rejection of the proposal and a decision to launch a new bidding round.
Launched in the 1960s as a symbol of national pride, PIA has struggled for years with mismanagement, political interference, and overstaffing, accumulating debts of around $3 billion.
Last year, the airline reported losses of $270 million. Additionally, its aging fleet remains a persistent issue, leading to cancellations and rescheduling of flights due to debts owed to the state oil company, Pakistan State Oil.
Currently, the flight offerings between Pakistan and Europe are as follows:
- British Airways
- 3 weekly flights between London Gatwick and Islamabad.
- Pegasus
- 4 weekly flights between Istanbul (SAW) and Karachi.
- Turkish Airlines
- 10 weekly flights between Istanbul (IST) and Islamabad.
- 7 weekly flights between Istanbul (IST) and Karachi.
- 11 weekly flights between Istanbul (IST) and Lahore.
This represents a weekly offering of approximately 18,000 seats.
