ISLAMABAD: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA)’s plan to launch direct flights from Pakistan to the UK has hit a snag after the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) failed to secure timely approval of the Third Country Operator (TCO) licence from British authorities.
Meanwhile, UK’s Department for Transport (DFT) has issued the TCO licence to private airline Airblue for launching direct flights from Pakistan to the UK.
PIA has confirmed it could not obtain the licence. Sources said that the national carrier is facing a shortage of aircraft, while Airblue’s Airbus A320 planes will fly to the UK with a refuelling stop in Türkiye.
The sources said that Airblue will operate its UK flights using Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft.
In July, the United Kingdom lifted its ban on Pakistani airlines, allowing them to resume flight operations after over five years.
According to PIA officials, flights cannot operate until the TCO approval was granted. It has been over a month since the UK lifted restrictions on Pakistani airlines, but the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has failed to obtain the required clearance, which remains a major obstacle to launching direct flights.
UK High Commissioner Jane Marriott, who travelled on a PIA domestic flight from Islamabad to Karachi after the ban was lifted, had expressed her wish to fly to Manchester on PIA’s first direct UK flight. However, that plan has yet to materialise.
Sources said both PIA and private carrier Airblue were set to resume direct UK operations from August, but the process stalled due to the missing TCO approval — a responsibility that rests with the CAA.
Earlier, CAA spokesperson Shahid Qadir told HUM News English that its mandate was limited to the lifting of restrictions and that efforts were now focused on resuming flights to the United States. A five-member US safety delegation also visited Pakistan and was been briefed on all matters.
Shahid Qadir had said that “Once approval is granted, we will issue the schedule for direct UK flights. While awaiting clearance, we have already completed our operational planning.”