Pakistan International Airlines says EU agency suspends its European authorisation

The European Union Air Safety Agency (EASA) has suspended the authorisation for Pakistan's national airline to operate in Europe for six months, the airline's spokesman said on Tuesday.

The move follows the grounding of 262 Pakistani pilots whose licences the country's aviation minister termed "dubious". "EASA has temporarily suspended PIA's authorization to operate to the EU member states for a period of 6 months effective July 1, 2020 with the right to appeal against this decision," a Pakistan International Airlines' statement said.

It added that PIA would discontinue all its flights to Europe temporarily.