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KARACHI: The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has concluded a weeklong assessment of Pakistan’s aviation safety system in Karachi, the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) said on Friday, a review that Islamabad hopes will pave the way for the resumption of direct flights to America after five years.

The audit, conducted with the PCAA, examined Pakistan’s legal, regulatory and operational framework. The FAA delegation will now return to Washington to deliberate on its findings before issuing a formal outcome.

“While the outcome of this assessment cannot yet be predicted, the track record of DG CAA Nadir Shafi Dar and his team — particularly their success in restoring direct routes to the European Union and the United Kingdom — provides reason for cautious optimism,” the PCAA said in a statement.

The five-member FAA delegation, accompanied by officials from the US Embassy, held extensive discussions with PCAA counterparts during the week. The review included verification of regulatory documents, evaluations of safety oversight mechanisms and briefings on compliance with international standards.

A second FAA team is expected later this year to evaluate airport and airspace security protocols in Pakistan.

The visit is part of Pakistan’s bid to regain access to the US market, from which national carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has been barred since June 2020. The ban followed a deadly Karachi plane crash that killed nearly 100 people and a subsequent scandal over fake pilot licenses.

Earlier this year, European and British regulators lifted their restrictions on PIA after nearly five years, allowing the airline to resume flights to those markets. 

A favorable outcome by the FAA could restore PIA’s US routes, reducing travel times for the nearly 700,000 Pakistani expatriates living in America and boosting confidence in the country’s aviation sector.

Muhammad Umair, a Karachi-based aviation analyst, told Arab News earlier this week that the FAA visit marked “the first major step” toward restoring the routes but warned the process could take months.

“They will review all safety and security protocols, identify any gaps, and ask the Pakistani authorities to address them,” he said.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Reko Diq copper and gold mine project has entered a new phase with a $715 million funding boost, Pakistani state media reported on Friday.

The Reko Diq mine, located in Pakistan’s largest and poorest Balochistan province, is among the world’s biggest untapped deposits of copper and gold, with the project estimated to generate $90 billion over the next 37 years.

The project, long stalled by legal disputes and political wrangling, was revived after a 2022 settlement with Canada’s Barrick Gold. Islamabad has since touted the mine as a potential driver of growth and foreign exchange earnings.

Pakistan's Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL), Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) and Government Holdings Private Limited (GHPL) will now provide financing guarantees for the project through a joint corporate guarantee.

"OGDCL has approved 715 million dollars in funding for the first phase of the Reko Diq project," the Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported.

The Reko Diq Mining Company will provide a loan of $350 million to construct a new railway line, ML-3, for the project from Balochistan's Chaman to Rohri in Sindh, according to the report.

"Under the ML-3 project, Reko Diq will be connected to Port Qasim via railway track within three years," it said, adding the project will generate thousands of jobs and new business opportunities in Balochistan.

While the funding marks a breakthrough for Pakistan’s mining sector and overall economic development, the project’s location underscores the security and political challenges that have long dogged investment in the province.

Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, has for decades faced a separatist insurgency. Armed groups have repeatedly attacked government facilities, the military, and infrastructure tied to foreign investment, including Chinese projects under the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Insurgents say they are fighting for greater control over the province’s resources and for independence, while the state has described such attacks as terrorism threatening national stability.

Authorities in Islamabad view Reko Diq as a flagship investment that could transform Pakistan’s resource sector. Officials say revenues from the mine would help stabilize public finances, bolster exports, and reduce dependence on costly fuel imports, while also signaling to global investors that Pakistan remains open for business despite persistent security threats.

Canada's Barrick Gold owns a 50 percent stake in the Reko Diq mine and the Pakistan and Balochistan governments own the other 50 percent. The project is expected to start production by the end of 2028 and will produce 200,000 tons of copper per year in its first phase, with an estimated cost of $5.5 billion.

The first phase is expected to be completed by 2029, Barrick’s CEO Mark Bristow told Pakistani digital media outlet Dawn News English in January. A second phase, estimated to cost $3.5 billion, will double production, he added.

The mine is estimated to have reserves lasting 37 years but Bristow said that through upgrades and expansions it could potentially be mined for much longer.