Pakistan’s domestic market is set to obtain a significant improvement as the authorities prepare to launch three new airlines.
According to the spokesperson of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the authority is in the process of awarding operational permits to three new domestic airlines to provide a “breather” to local travel and tourism business badly hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
He informed two of these startups have completed the necessary administrative processes, while the third remains under scrutiny. Subject to a successful first year, the carriers may also go on to operate international services.
According to the aviation law, the new airlines must operate domestic flights for at least one year before launching international flight operations.
With the launch of three new airlines, a good number of jobs are supposed to be created as the aviation industry is still facing the worst financial crisis since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Earlier in June 2020, Pakistan International Airlines has grounded 150 pilots over claims they may not hold a valid licence after the aviation minister told parliament that a large number of commercial pilots hold fake licences or cheated in exams.
Following the startling revelation of the key minister, European Union has extended its ban on Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and informed that the ban on flights to Europe would only be lifted after a safety audit of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The EU suspended all PIA flights to Europe in July for six months over concerns about PIA pilots.
