CAA cancels licenses of PIA pilots

KARACHI: Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has cancelled licenses of 17 captains and first officers of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), ARY NEWS reported on Saturday.

According to a spokesman of the national flag carrier, they had received a list of eight PIA captains, whose licenses have been cancelled by the aviation authority.

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“The pilots whose licenses have been cancelled will be terminated from their service,” said the PIA spokesman as the sources claimed that the national flag carrier has grounded all these pilots in 2019.

The sources said that the CAA has suspended ATPL licenses of more than 48 PIA pilots and an investigation into their credentials is ongoing. “They have been issued a show-cause notice and a two week time to respond to the allegations against them,” they said.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Pakistani pilots were grounded globally after the issue of dubious pilots’ licenses emerged in the country.

On July 16, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) confirmed that it has received requests from 10 countries to seek verification of licences of Pakistani pilots.

The countries which sought credibility of credentials of Pakistani pilots include United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Malaysia, Vietnam and other states.

The states have sought details of 176 pilots who have received licences from the operator in Pakistan.

166 out of 176 licences have been verified so far by the CAA, said the spokesperson, adding that the clearance process was pushed into a delay for 10 more licences on technical grounds. The process will be completed by next week.

The CAA spokesperson detailed that 262 pilots had been grounded over the directives of the Pakistani government over the issue of suspected licences, whereas, the federal cabinet members had approved the suspension of licences of 28 aviates.