Canada may ban direct flights from PIA

The world is getting smaller day by day for the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) after the country’s aviation minister revealed that nearly a third of Pakistani pilots possess ‘fake’ licenses.

According to the details, the flag carrier is facing a suspension of six months from the European Union, and a ban on all types of flights from the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK).

However, Canada is the only country left in the Americas to which PIA can fly nonstop, but recent revelations from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) suggest that could change. Anonymous sources within the CBSA have suggested that PIA might get banned in Canada if the national flag carrier doesn’t start complying with Canadian customs reporting requirements.

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According to the details received by Baaghi TV, the CBSA has notified PIA about the noncompliance in writing however, there is no response from the airline. As per the letter, the airline was warned of delays and extra inspections for PIA cargo and threatened fines and eventual cancellation of its carrier code in the case of continued noncompliance.

Furthermore, a CBSA official said off the record that the agency is already enforcing routine offloading slowdowns for PIA planes at Toronto. As a result, some shipments are getting delayed and plans to step up the delays is not forthcoming from the airline. However, failure to act on the problem quickly can result in a ban on direct flights by Pakistan International Airlines to Canada.

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