PIA cleared for EU cargo flights

Published November 19, 2014
PIA acquired the validation of safety and security standards for Lahore airport in September and now Karachi and Islamabad airports have also been granted the EU clearance. - Reuters/File
PIA acquired the validation of safety and security standards for Lahore airport in September and now Karachi and Islamabad airports have also been granted the EU clearance. - Reuters/File

KARACHI: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has secured approval for cargo services to the European Union (EU) after being suspended over security fears, officials said Wednesday, a rare boost for the beleaguered airline.

The EU tightened security controls on air freight in the wake of a plot to smuggle a bomb hidden in printer toner cartridges on a plane from Yemen in 2010.

New regulations came into force in July this year and in September when the EU suspended PIA's right to fly cargo into the bloc over non-compliance. The airline got clearance from the EU after installing dual view x-ray machines and explosive trace detectors to thoroughly scan goods and parcels booked on its flights.

“It is a very big achievement for us now that EU experts have audited our security installations and validated our safety and security standards,“ Captain Salman Azhar, PIA's director for safety and quality insurance, told AFP.

PIA acquired the validation of safety and security standards for Lahore airport in September and now Karachi and Islamabad airports have also been granted the EU clearance.

Once a jewel among Asian airlines, state-owned PIA has suffered terrible problems in recent years, with financial losses running to hundreds of millions of dollars and constant flight cancellations.

In the past, one PIA pilot was jailed in the UK for showing up drunk to fly a plane with 156 people on board.

Moreover, Pakistan's airports have suffered two major security incidents this year. In June, heavily armed militants stormed Karachi international airport in a commando-style raid that left 38 people dead, including the 10 attackers.

Two weeks later, gunmen opened fire on a PIA flight from Saudi Arabia as it landed at Peshawar airport.

Opinion

Editorial

System failure
Updated 12 Nov, 2024

System failure

Relevant institutions often treat right to internet connectivity with the same disdain as they do civil and political rights.
Narrowing the gap
12 Nov, 2024

Narrowing the gap

PERHAPS a pat on the back is in order for the ECP. Together with Nadra, it has made visible efforts to reduce...
Back on their feet
12 Nov, 2024

Back on their feet

A STIRRING comeback in the series has ended Pakistan’s 22-year wait for victory against world champions Australia....
Time to deliver
Updated 11 Nov, 2024

Time to deliver

Pakistan must display a serious commitment to climate change adaptation and mitigation at home.
Smaller government
11 Nov, 2024

Smaller government

THE IMF bailout programme has put the government under pressure to curtail its spending, especially current...
Unsafe inheritance
11 Nov, 2024

Unsafe inheritance

DESPITE regulations, the troubling practice of robbing women of their rightful inheritance — the culprits are ...