It comes as a respite to the aviation sector of the country that direct flights to EU member countries, the UK and the US will likely be resumed by March. This announcement from Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar comes at the backdrop of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) validating the safety standards of the aviation sector on Wednesday. The report clearing Pakistan’s security standards came one and a half year after the ICAO had imposed a ban on direct flights from this country. The decision was made following the Pakistan International Airline (PIA) plane crash in May 2020 and Sarwar’s damning statement in the National Assembly. The minister had claimed that around 40 percent of the pilots in the country had ‘dubious licenses’.
The revelation not only sent panic in the country but also adversely affected the country’s image globally, costing it the right to operate flights to 27 EU countries, the UK and the US. The national carrier was the only airline that was operating on these routes, resulting to it incurring losses at a time when the travel industry was already hit by the Coronavirus pandemic. Now with the new variant leading to a surge in Covid-19 cases, countries are mulling closing borders again. Hong Kong has already imposed a travel ban on seven countries, including Pakistan.
In the wake of these developments, the resumptions of direct flights to Europe and other countries will help the PIA to earn a steady stream of revenue. However, the ICAO clearance certificate should not make the incumbent government overlook the problems that do exist in our aviation sector. While the aviation minister should have thought about the consequences of his statement made in 2020, the fact that plane crashes in Pakistan had become rather frequent is not an exaggeration. Seven plane crashes had been reported from 2010 to 2020. Around 500 people lost their lives in these crashes. The national flag carrier has also over the years become a loss-making entity unable to compete with the newer more advanced commercial airlines. Successive governments had vowed to put the sector along with the PIA on a path of progress but had failed to do so. If Prime Minister Imran Khan truly wants to make Pakistan a tourist hotspot as he had previously mentioned it is important to overhaul the existing system. Only then can we truly exploit the tourism potential of the country.
