The United Kingdom has officially removed Pakistan from its Air Safety List, allowing Pakistani airlines to apply for flight operations to the UK again.
This was confirmed by the British High Commission in Islamabad on Wednesday.
The move follows a security inspection by a UK Department for Transport team at Islamabad International Airport, which found Pakistan’s aviation security to be “satisfactory and in line with international standards.”
The ban had been in place since June 2020 after a PIA Airbus A-320 crashed in Karachi, killing nearly 100 people.
Although the ban on European operations was lifted in November 2023, restrictions on UK flights remained.
A statement from the British High Commission read, “Following air safety improvements, the UK’s Air Safety Committee has lifted UK restrictions on Pakistani carriers.”
However, airlines must still apply individually to the UK Civil Aviation Authority for permits.
British High Commissioner Jane Marriott appreciated the teamwork between UK and Pakistani experts: “I’m grateful to aviation experts in the UK and Pakistan for their collaborative work to drive improvements to meet international safety standards. While it will take time for flights to resume, once the logistics are in place, I look forward to using a Pakistani carrier when visiting family and friends.”
The statement explained that the UK’s Air Safety Committee, through an independent process, had been working with the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority for years.
It concluded that Pakistan had made the necessary safety improvements since 2021 and decided to remove Pakistan and its carriers from the list.
Aviation Minister Khawaja Asif called the development “another milestone” and credited his party’s government for the effort. He posted on X: “Three years of continuous hard work have borne fruit.”
He also criticised former PM Imran Khan and ex-aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan, who, in 2020, had claimed that 40% of pilots in Pakistan held fake licenses. “But today, the green crescent flag is once again soaring proudly in the skies,” Asif added.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also celebrated the decision, calling it a step that would ease travel and boost trade between the UK and Pakistan.
He wrote on X, “With over 1.6 million people of Pakistani heritage living in the UK and thousands of British nationals in Pakistan, today’s announcement brings long-awaited relief and new opportunities for families and friends to reunite.”
He added, “As Pakistan’s third-largest trading partner, this ease in travel between the UK and Pakistan will help this vital trade relationship grow manifold.”
The decision comes just a day after the UK launched e-visas for Pakistani students and workers.
A day before that, both countries signed the Trade Dialogue Mechanism Agreement and agreed to set up the UK-Pakistan Business Advisory Council to deepen economic ties.
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