Defence Minister Khawaja Asif Announces Resumption of PIA Flights to Europe
Islamabad:Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has announced that Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will resume its operations to the UK following the lifting of the ban on PIA’s flights to Europe. The first flight, with 317 passengers onboard, is set to depart for Paris after the resumption of PIA’s European operations. A special ceremony was held at Islamabad Airport before the flight’s departure, in which Minister Khawaja Asif participated.
In his address at the ceremony, Khawaja Asif expressed gratitude, saying, “Thanks to Allah, the flights from Pakistan to Europe have resumed.” He further stated that PIA will gradually expand its flight operations to cover the entire European region. He also mentioned that passengers would be able to travel to the United States through cooperation with other airlines.
The Defence Minister revealed that PIA will soon start flights to three cities in the UK. He highlighted that a large number of Pakistanis live in Europe and have faced significant difficulties due to the previous flight restrictions.
Khawaja Asif also mentioned that prior to the ban, PIA used to transport the bodies of Pakistanis who passed away in Europe back to Pakistan for free, a service that was suspended due to the restrictions. He assured that this facility would be reinstated, allowing people to bury their loved ones in their homeland.
He emphasized that the government would work towards the privatization of PIA to improve its services, stating, “We aim to reclaim our position in the market through PIA.”
Khawaja Asif also expressed pride in the successful booking of 100% of the seats on the first flight to Europe, and mentioned that future flights were also fully booked. “It was due to our incompetence and foolishness that the skies over Europe were closed to us, but now, once again, the green and white flag of Pakistan will fly high in European skies,” he said.
The Defence Minister praised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Khawaja Saad Rafique, and the relevant institutions for their efforts in bringing about the resumption of PIA’s flights to Europe.
