KARACHI: The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) maiden flight from Lahore to Sydney has been deferred for a few days on the advice of the Australian Homeland Affairs Department, a statement said.

The flight was deferred as the Australian authorities want to reassess the prevailing security situation of the country and review the security apparatus and procedures adopted at Pakistani airports, it added.

Necessary permissions were obtained from Australian Civil Aviation Authority and flights were mounted in the system and drew healthy loads, however, the Department of Homeland Affairs of Australia, consequent to the detailed assessment of the security protocols adopted at Karachi and Lahore Airports, have sought for more time and have advised PIA to cancel its first two flights, till the time their review is complete.

The PIA spokesperson confirmed the news, saying that it is an unfortunate development, however for long term sustainable operations to Australia, the national flag carrier will comply with all the regulations and security reviews.

The Pakistani High Commission in Australia is in constant contact with the concerned authorities for amicable and expeditious resolution of the matter and have made themselves available for any assistance in this regard, he added.

He said that the first two flights have been deferred to a later date and all the passengers will be re-accommodated on those flights. The PIA Call Centre has already started informing the passengers about the change.

He further added that all those customers who intend to travel before that can get their tickets refunded without any charge.
The PIA was set to operate its first ever direct flight between Pakistan and Australia on April 22, 2022, initially planning to operate one weekly flight on this route.

There was a strong demand for direct flights by the Pakistani diaspora living in Australia who were forced to take 35 hours long journeys via transiting at Middle Eastern points. With PIA’s direct flights, the travel duration with total journey lasted only 12.5 hours.