Aviation Authority says Neos airline interested in launching direct Italy-Pakistan flights

Khurshid Ahmed

KARACHI : A European airline plans to launch direct flights between Italy and Pakistan, confirmed a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) official on Tuesday night, adding the two sides were in conversation to discuss the initiative at length.

Pakistan’s aviation sector has faced multiple challenges since May 2020 when a crash of a commercial airliner in Karachi led to increased scrutiny of its safety protocols. The incident also led to a major scandal when a senior minister said during a speech in parliament that a significant number of pilots in the country had obtained dubious or fraudulent licenses, leading to global concerns and restrictions.

Pakistan’s national flag carrier, PIA, has struggled with financial instability after its flights were banned in European countries in the wake of these developments.

Recently, the local media reported that a private Italian airline, Neos, was interested in initiating flights between the two countries.

“The request by the airline Neos to be designated is with the Ministry of Aviation,” Saif Ullah, CAA spokesperson, briefly told Arab News while confirming the European airline’s interest to operate flights between the two states.

He did not share any further details related to the request.

Faced with a major liquidity crunch, Pakistan’s own airlines sought Rs23 billion ($76 million) from the government last month to manage its operational expenses.

However, the government refused to provide cash assistance to the state-owned entity amid an ongoing economic downturn in the country, instructing relevant officials to prepare a restructuring plan to improve PIA’s financial situation.

PIA also confirmed it had grounded 14 out of 31 aircraft to deal with the financial turmoil.

Courtesy: arabnews