Pakistan International Airlines back on Lahore-Paris route after five years

Following a five year gap, Pakistan International Airlines has reinstated flights between Lahore and Paris. The airline received permission to resume operations in Europe last year, after a strict ban prevented them from servicing European cities.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) first banned the airline in June 2020. The decision came after a domestic PIA flight crashed in Karachi in May 2020, killing 97. Following the incident, investigations were made into pilot credentials, which revealed that more than 30% of pilots in the country had fake certifications.

This prompted the EASA to ban the airline over concerns of PIA’s ability to successfully follow aviation regulations and guidelines. The airline tried to reverse the ban, but it lasted four years, before being uplifted in November 2024.

PIA, among other foreign airlines, is required to uphold an adequate safety performance or risk getting banned again by the EASA. The organisation states that they perform reviews at regular intervals between 12 and 48 months to assess the status of foreign airlines.

Alongside the EASA, the United Kingdom and the United States also banned the airline in 2020 due to the same safety concerns.

Currently, the airline awaits a green light from the UK’s aviation authorities to begin flights to cities like London, Manchester, and Birmingham. The situation regarding flights to the US is slightly different. Although the airline suspended its American operations voluntarily in 2017 due to economic loss, it won’t be able to resume services until the ban is lifted.

After the easing of the EASA ban, PIA began working on expanding its international flight roster, eyeing flights to major hubs like Paris. In January 2025, they successfully inaugurated flights from the country’s capital, Islamabad to Paris. Meanwhile, services from Lahore began on June 18. In terms of service frequency, PIA has two flights per week from Islamabad and one weekly flight from Lahore.

The direct flights are not only beneficial to the country’s aviation sector, but also increases travel convenience for Pakistanis both abroad and at home. In fact, apart from PIA, no other airlines offer direct routes between Paris and Pakistan, creating a good opportunity to dominate this flight route.

Mariam Khan is a trainee journalist at Gulf News