The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has downgraded Pakistan to a Category 2 safety rating citing its non-compliance with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards.
The decision prevents carriers from Pakistan from adding any new services to the United States. Any existing services could be maintained. However, the US Department of Transportation recently revoked PIA - Pakistan International Airlines' authorisation to fly to the United States as a result of an ongoing scandal over fake pilot licences in Pakistan. As no other airline maintains scheduled flights to the US, the combination of the DOT and the FAA rulings effectively suspends all scheduled operations between the two countries.
No US-based airline operates scheduled flights to Pakistan.
The downgrading to a Category 2 safety rating also prevents US carriers from codesharing on flights operated by Pakistani airlines. No such codeshare partnerships exist at this moment.
Out of 86 audited countries and blocs of countries, the FAA currently maintains Category 2 ratings for Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Curacao, Ghana, Malaysia, the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, Pakistan, Thailand, and Venezuela.
