Licence suspension case: LHC stops CAA to take action against PIA pilot

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) has stopped the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) from taking action against Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) pilot Asim Aziz in pursuance of legal procedures over possessing a dubious licence, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

The Lahore High Court (LHC) heard the case related to the suspension of the licence of an aviate of the national carrier. A notice has been issued to the aviation authority by the LHC judge and sought reply over suspending the licence of the PIA pilot Asim Aziz.

The PIA pilot filed a petition to challenge the suspension of his licence by the CAA after expressing suspicions on its credibility. The petitioner stated that he possesses a commercial pilot licence and the aviation authorities violated the regulations by suspending the licence without listening to his stance.

Read: CAA blames airlines for dubious pilots licenses issue

In August, the Lahore High Court (LHC) had also suspended a notice issued to a PIA pilot by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) over the alleged suspicious licence and directed it to furnish comments on his petition.

Justice Jawad Hassan of the high court had taken up a petition moved by Umar Saleem who challenged the suspension of his licence.

He had contended before the judge that he has been an employee of the national flag carrier since 2006 while began working as a captain from 2015. He complained that the CAA director general without giving him fair hearing suspended his licence on July 10, 2020.

The petitioner had said his licence had been renewed for five times and is valid until 2024. He had requested the court to set aside the CAA notice with regard to suspension of his licence and grant a stay order against it until a final decision on his petition.

Read: CAA employees terminated over issuance of suspicious pilot licences

Slamming the CAA, the judge had questioned how can it suspend pilot licences after issuing them.

In another case, the Sindh High Court (SHC) had dismissed as non-maintainable a petition pertaining to alleged fake licences of pilots, ruling that an inquiry into the matter is underway, due to which it will not intervene.

A two-member bench, comprising Justice Khadim Hussain Shaikh and Justice Adnan Iqbal Chaudhry, had rejected the petition filed by a pilot, Waqar Ahmed, after hearing arguments put forward by his lawyer.

Justice Khadim Hussain Shaikh had observed that the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is already carrying out a high-level probe into the issue of fake licences of pilots. The SHC will not intervene in the matter being investigated, he said.

Read: PIA springs into action after aviation minister’s fake pilot licences claim

The judge had remarked that fake licences will be cancelled after the probe, asking how can the court allow pilots having fake licences to fly planes and kill people. He asked the petitioner to take back his petition or a fine will be imposed on him.

Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan had announced in June that 262 airline pilots, whose credentials may have been falsified, will be grounded at once.

Among these pilots are 141 from Pakistan International Airlines, nine from Air Blue and 10 from Serene Air, he said, adding that the remaining were affiliated with flying clubs, chartered plane services or foreign airlines.