The United States Departement of Transport has revoked the permission granted to the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to operate special direct flights. The United States Federal Aviation Administration wrote that it has received instructions from DOT a few moments ago, revoking PIA’s Part 375 special authorization due to “recent events identified by the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority that are of serious concern to aviation safety,”.
The letter further mentions the pilot’s licenses issue by adding that “specifically matters pertaining to the proper certification of certain Pakistani pilots”. According to the email “revocation is effective immediately, and not only rescinds PIA’s authority to operate charters to or from the U.S. but also bars PIA from engaging in non-revenue operations that involve a U.S. point”.
It is important to mention that PIA stopped flying to the USA in 2017. Its last destination in the USA was New York JFK Airport. Earlier this year PIA was allowed to operate historic direct flights to the USA. The permission granted in April was to operate 12 direct flights to the US to repatriate people stranded by the coronavirus pandemic. So far PIA only operated 6 flights and the demand was low and it was struggling to operate the remaining flights.