LAHORE: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has suspended 34 more pilots licenses’ of Pakistan International Airlines for allegedly holding fake degrees.
According to a notification issued by the CAA, licenses will remain suspended till the inquiry against the pilots has not been completed.
Last month, Pakistan said it would ground 262 airline pilots whose credentials may have been falsified after global airlines body International Air Transport Association said that irregularities found in pilot licenses at PIA represent a “serious lapse” in safety controls.
Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan, while presenting an initial investigation report into the PIA plane crash in which 97 people had been killed, had said 40% of the country’s pilots held “dubious licenses”.
On Tuesday, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) had ordered its member states to bar Pakistani pilots from working. EASA had asked its member countries for details of Pakistani pilots.
The letter sent to the member states by EASA stated that the CAA has revealed irregularities in the issuance of 40% of licenses.
In the federal cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the PM had instructed the cabinet members to complete investigations into the dubious licenses of the pilots at the earliest.
It was informed during the meeting that all pilots possessing fake licenses have been grounded. The meeting was informed all airlines of the country had directed to ensure transparency in procedures and licensing of pilots.
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