Pakistan cancels licenses of 50 pilots after scrutiny

ISLAMABAD : The federal government in Pakistan informed the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Saturday that as per the requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organisation, the authorities after reviewing the licenses of all 860 commercial pilots in the country decided to cancel 50 of those licenses.
The pilots have been working for the national flag carrier Pakistan International Airlines(PIA) as well as other Pakistani private and foreign airlines, according to a report filed by the Additional Attorney General Tariq Mehmood Khokhar in response to a petition filed by pilot Syed Saqlain Haider, whose credentials have been found to be fake, Dawn reported.
The report said that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had been authorised to take action against those pilots who had secured their licences through unfair means.
On June 26, 2020 the CAA grounded 262 pilots and suspended their licences for verification. Their names were made public to avoid any negative impression about other pilots, including those working outside Pakistan.
On June 30, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency suspended PIA flights to and over Europe for six months. Such suspensions can be ended only after a satisfactory on site or remote audit. (AGENCY)