Wed Jul 16 11:54:37 UTC 2025: Here’s a summary of the text, followed by a rewritten news article:
**Summary:**
After a five-year ban, the UK has lifted restrictions on Pakistani airlines, allowing them to resume flights. This decision follows safety improvements in Pakistan’s aviation sector and coincides with Pakistan’s efforts to privatize Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). The ban was initially imposed in 2020 after a PIA plane crash and subsequent concerns about pilot licensing. The EU also recently lifted its ban on PIA flights. The Pakistani government hopes this development will increase PIA’s appeal to potential buyers as it moves towards privatization.
**News Article:**
**UK Lifts Flight Ban on Pakistani Airlines as Privatization of PIA Gains Momentum**
**Islamabad, Pakistan** – In a significant boost to Pakistan’s aviation sector and its efforts to privatize national carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), the United Kingdom has lifted its five-year ban on Pakistani airlines. The move, announced by the British High Commission in Islamabad on Wednesday, allows Pakistani airlines to apply to resume flights to and from the UK.
The UK Air Safety Committee attributed its decision to improvements in aviation safety standards within Pakistan. “Based on this independent and technically-driven process, it has decided to remove Pakistan and its air carriers from the [UK Air Safety] List,” the High Commission stated.
The decision follows a similar move by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which lifted its own ban on PIA flights earlier this year. PIA resumed flights to Europe in January.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif hailed the lifting of the ban as a “significant milestone,” emphasizing its importance for Pakistanis residing in the UK. Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif expressed optimism that the resumption of routes, including flights to New York, would increase PIA’s value ahead of its planned privatization. Asif also attributed the ban to the false remarks made by a former aviation minister, deeming them a “national-level blunder.”
The ban was originally imposed in June 2020, following a PIA plane crash in Karachi that killed 97 people. The incident, attributed to pilot error and air traffic control negligence, triggered allegations of widespread fraudulent pilot licenses.
PIA, historically the only Pakistani carrier operating long-haul flights to the UK and EU, has faced financial difficulties and operational challenges for years. The airline estimated annual revenue losses of $144 million due to the ban. The Pakistani government is actively seeking buyers for PIA, aiming to capitalize on recent reforms and the airline’s first operating profit in 21 years to attract investors. Four groups have already been approved to bid for a 51 to 100 percent stake in the airline, with final bids expected later this year.
First Piper 