The European Commission (EC) has decided to hold a technical meeting with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA EC meeting) of Pakistan to discuss and potentially lift the ban on direct flights between European countries and Pakistan.

If the ban is lifted, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) could resume flights to European Union (EU) countries by the end of this month.

A CAA EC meeting spokesperson said the invitation to the meeting is an important step towards restoring direct flights between Pakistan and Europe.

Speaking of the possible reversal of the no-fly zone, the spokesperson went on to say that the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) would be invited to conduct an online audit of the airline at the end of the technical discussion.

Subsequently, EC representatives could visit Pakistan to conduct an on-site assessment of CAA and PIA before finally approving direct flights from Pakistan to Europe.

He went on to say that while the timing and schedule for visiting EC members are not yet confirmed, the CAA hopes the no-fly zone will be completely lifted by April 2023. He revealed that the CAA had also received an email from EASA stating that the case was pending.

The European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom (United Kingdom) had initially banned direct PIA flights to Europe after the controversy over the airline’s pilots forged flight permits.