The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has suspended Pakistan International Airline’s air operations permit for a period of six months, the national carrier’s spokesperson Abdullah Hafeez Khan said on Tuesday. The move follows the grounding of 262 pilots whose licences Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan termed “dubious”. “EASA has temporarily suspended PIA’s authorisation 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 PIA statement said. The PIA also added that it will temporarily discontinue all its flight operations to Europe. The decision was taken after Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan termed the licence of 262 pilots ‘dubious’. Also Read – ‘Your Pain is Our Pain’: Twitter India Stands in Solidarity With Pakistan After Tragic Loss of Lives in PIA Plane Crash As per updates from the airline, passengers booked tickets on PIA flights to European destinations can either extend their bookings to a later date or will have the option to get full refund. All passengers booked on its flights to European destinations will have the option to either extend their bookings to a later date or get a full refund. “PIA is in contact with EASA to allay their concerns and to take necessary corrective measures along with filing the appeal against the decision,” the press release said. The national flag carrier “sincerely hopes that with reparative and swift actions taken by the Government of Pakistan and PIA management, earliest possible lifting of this suspension can be expected”, it added.