Britain on 16 July lifted a five-year ban on Pakistani airlines, removing Pakistan from its Air Safety List after regulators said the country had met international safety standards. The decision by the UK Air Safety Committee allows Pakistani carriers to apply to the UK Civil Aviation Authority for operating permits and follows months of technical engagement between British and Pakistani regulators. London imposed the restrictions in June 2020, days after a Pakistan International Airlines Airbus A320 crashed in Karachi, killing 97 people and triggering revelations that nearly one-third of Pakistani commercial pilots held dubious licences. The European Union rescinded its own ban earlier this year, and Wednesday’s move by the United Kingdom completes the rollback of Western blocks that had isolated Pakistani carriers. PIA, historically the only Pakistani airline flying long-haul to Britain, said it has asked the UK regulator to clear three weekly Islamabad–Manchester services and hopes to resume operations "in the shortest possible time." The carrier estimates the suspension cost it about 40 billion rupees (US$144 million) in annual revenue—losses that weighed on the government’s ongoing effort to privatise a 51-100 percent stake in the loss-making airline. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called the lifting of the ban "an important milestone," while British High Commissioner Jane Marriott thanked aviation experts in both countries for raising safety standards. With 1.6 million people of Pakistani heritage living in the UK and annual bilateral trade of roughly £4.7 billion, officials on both sides said restored air links will boost family travel, tourism and commerce.