Asia

Pakistan’s national airline moves to assuage concern on ‘dubious’ pilot licences

adminJune 27, 20201 Mins read67 Views

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's national airline has written to foreign missions and global regulatory and safety bodies, assuring them it has grounded all 141 pilots suspected of obtaining licences through unfair means, the carrier's spokesman said on Saturday (Jun 27).

The move looks to assuage safety concerns after Pakistan's Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan said on Friday the government had asked various commercial airlines, flying clubs and charter companies to ground a total of 262 pilots until investigations into their qualifications are completed.

READ: Pakistan airline under fire over fake pilot licence scandal

The action was prompted by a preliminary report on the crash of a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) aircraft in Karachi last month, which found pilots had failed to follow standard procedures.

Global safety and transport bodies expressed concern about the alleged "dubious" licences and said they were looking into the matter. PIA flies a number of international routes, including to the United States, Britain and Europe.

"It is also ensured that all pilots flying PIA flights are having genuine licences endorsed by the government of Pakistan," said a copy of the letter sent to the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad seen by Reuters.

The letter, signed by PIA Chief Executive Arshad Malik, also promised the airline would remain compliant with all international aviation safety and regulatory standards.