Pakistan's flag carrier to not appeal EU flight ban, will review turnaround strategy: officials

PIA will not appeal against a six-month ban imposed on its lucrative flights to European locations, three officials said, in a blow to the ailing airline’s pre-pandemic turnaround plans. The EASA banned PIA from flying to the bloc in June over safety concerns, days after the country grounded dozens of its pilots over allegedly dubious qualifications. “We’ve decided that filing an appeal at this stage will be counter-productive,” PIA spokesman Abdullah Khan said. The deadline to appeal expired on Aug 31. Two civil aviation officials told Reuters that all the stakeholders agreed that an appeal would be a futile exercise until reforms in the regulatory framework and a full probe into the pilots’ scandal were completed. Opting not to appeal means the ban will remain in force until the end of 2020 - a year in which PIA was to implement a new business plan aimed at making the company profitable by 2023 - via a route rationalization, increasing flights and adding new sectors like Amsterdam.<br/>