Ethiopian Airlines seeks reply over pilot’s fake licences

KARACHI: Ethiopian Airlines has suspended pilots from Pakistan with fake licences and sought and sought an explanation from aviation officials.

United States, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and European Union have already sought an explanation from Pakistan over the matter after it was revealed that forty percent of pilots have dubious licences and continue to operate planes.

In a letter penned to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Ethiopian Airlines has sought explanation about the credentials of the five pilots from Pakistan working in the airline of the African nation.

Five pilots from Pakistan, Tahir Rehan, Shehzad Aziz, Muhammad Jameel, Inamullah Jan and Muhammad Sohail are working from last one year in Ethiopian Airlines. The letter said the news of fake licences of Pakistani pilots has created panic and an explanation is required.

Earlier on June 30, European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) had announced to suspend Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight operations for Europe over safety concerns for six months.

The United States has suspended Pakistan International Airline’s special permit to operate in the country over safety measures.

The US Department of Transportation has also issued a declaration stating that PIA will not be able to operate its flights to the United States.

The development follows the grounding of 262 pilots whose licences were termed ‘dubious’ by the Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan.

UK barred PIA flights from three of its airports and Vietnam had grounded all Pakistani pilots working in the country. On the other hand, Malaysia announced the temporary suspension of pilots who hold Pakistani licences, and UAE had also sought verification of CAA licences granted to Pakistani staff.