Karachi: Britain has refused to lift the ban on Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flights due to safety concerns.

Sources cognizant of the development said the British Department of Transport (DfT) had written a letter to the CAA to convey its concerns over the measures it had taken for flight dependability, ARY News reported citing sources.

The decision came as the UK strongly expressed its safety concerns to the country's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and had written a letter to it regarding it.

Moreover, the letter was received by CAA on September 8, 2022.

The DfT has expressed its dissatisfaction over the steps taken by the CAA to ensure flight standards and safety in the letter which has become a major cause of concern as the department is of the opinion that the ban could not be lifted because of the lack of progress despite the legislation on aviation in Pakistan, ARY News reported.

Earlier, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested former Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) officials for involvement in a fake degree scam.