New Delhi: The initial investigation into the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) crash that killed 97 people on 22 May has found that 30 per cent of the country’s commercial pilots hold fraudulent licences, according to reports.
Of Pakistan’s 860 pilots, as many as 262 were found to have obtained their licences through unfair means, the country’s aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan told Parliament last week. Khan said pilots obtained their licences by paying other people to sit for exams.
“(They) were found not to have given their exams themselves,” he said. “They give money and have a dummy candidate sit in their place.”
The PIA wrote to foreign missions and regulatory bodies assuring them that 141 of its 434 pilots were grounded Saturday. Nine pilots from Air Blue, 10 from Serene Airline, and 17 from Shaheen Airlines have also been grounded following the government’s findings.
The Pakistan Airline Pilots Association has disputed the government’s findings and called for judicial intervention.
Also read: India says Pakistan creating ‘mirage of goodwill’ by reopening Kartarpur Corridor
107 serve foreign airlines
According to the brief by the aviation minister, most Pakistani pilots — 753 — fly domestic airlines but 107 of them serve foreign airlines.
Since the announcement by the government, several countries — including Vietnam and Pakistan’s allies in the middle-east — have grounded Pakistani pilots working for their airlines and are reviewing their licences.
The 27 Pakistani pilots flying with Vietnamese airlines will be subject to a review process, following which they will be cleared if their licences are approved, Dinh Viet Thang, head of the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV), said Saturday.
Pakistani journalist Gul Bukhari tweeted that Kuwait Airlines has grounded staff across the board hailing from Pakistan.
“Kuwait Airways has grounded all 7 Pakistani pilots and suspended 56 engineers and ground handling staff. Similar reports from Qatar, Oman, Emirates and Vietnam,” she tweeted.
Kuwait Airways has grounded all 7 Pakistani pilots and suspended 56 engineers and ground handling staff. Similar reports from Qatar, Oman, Emirates and Vietnam.
— Gul Bukhari (@GulBukhari) June 27, 2020
The 22 May crash
The aviation minister refrained from disclosing whether the pilots who flew the PIA flight on 22 May had dubious licences, but conceded they were distracted and ignored repeated warnings from air traffic controllers not to land.
“The pilots were discussing corona throughout the flight. They were not focused. They talked about the coronavirus and how their families were affected,” said Khan, adding that air traffic controllers told the pilots not to land three times, “but the captain did not pay any heed to these instructions”.
According to reports, the pilots attempted to land without the plane’s landing gear in place, scraping the engines before lifting off once again. The damaged engines could not keep the plane in the air, causing it to crash.
Also read: 26/11 conspirator & Headley’s ‘friend’ Tahawwur Rana could be extradited to India soon
Given the rampant fake certificates in the Pakistan Air Pilot examination board.
It may be possible most of the Pakistan Airforce pilots too have fake certificates .
Hope all Pakistan Airforce pilots have fake certificates too
Every international airline hire staff pilots with proper documentation and license after joining company staff get training as per company policy and standards then they have to pass local government tests like licensed, security, flying etc without that no one will be eligible for specific company
It is Islamophobia
All liberals cry your heart out
Hold marches
Create riots
Failed country, full of corruption
Even better than the Chinese. Hahahahah.
Wow. lmffo.
Kuwait Airways does not have any Pakistani pilots, let alone ground them. Kindly double check on your facts prior to publishing.
Forgery is after all in their food. They are eating china donated food. Jaisa khao Ann , vaisa hoga Maan.
Mr Rajnish Awasthi: Aren’t you using a Chinese made smartphone now ? A Chinese made PC? Using services like PayTm etc. which send some of theoir profits to their Chinese owners?
A real shame and a sense of low lying feeling for the nation of Pakistan, when it prides itself having one of the best air forces in the world with highly skilled pilots with a so called track record of shooting Indian MiGs and Israeli Mirage jets, with God (Allah) only knowing how they all did this. If this is indeed really true, then Pakistan should immediately start training all its ex Air force pilots who flew C-130s and IL-78 refuelling jets for flying commercial aircraft and maintaining passenger safety. Ex pilots should be immediately handed over to civilian airliners to fly aircraft, as shortage and fraudulent cases might disappear once they do this.
Sorry the test is in combat or under pressure like the pilots of the recent crash. Totally ignoring ground control. A definite no no.
This is all Indian media fake news and propaganda against Pakistan and deliberately trying to blackmail Pakistan international Airlines, what they have mentioned names Oman, Qatar, Vietnam etc must check be information by relivant proper authorities and Pakistan government must sue these all fake indian backed news and news , these all information are fake and without any reality and actually Pakistan international airlines is world famous and good records Airlines from years and have lowest crushed rate then India own air lines and aviations incidents, passengers do know and use every day this service and have experienced from take off to landing their designations successfully every days, if their is any issue and problem Pakistan government happy to sort out asap with out any delays.
So for no issue or complaint has been made from any country named by fake Indian fake media or any individual person officially.
Please use Pakistan airlines with full confidence and full government Pakistan Pakistan garrantee and fully approved by international aviation authorities all over the world and igonerd these India fake news and lair media.
Paul Hicks, you use a Anglo Saxon name therefore I assume you speak and write in English but judging by your terrible spelling and terrible grammar I would say you sir are spreading fake comments
The same is happening in the shipping industry,in year 2000, I was doing my 2mate for ships officers, in Sydney Australia, for this course you need to worked onboard ships from 24 month, after graduating from maritime academy, the most of the class was Pakistani, some of them told me they never been at sea, but they got documents showing they did work at sea
Always MUSLIMS are liars…even in India many mbbs doctors are actually unani doctors with fake mbbs degrees working in Mumbai offshore oil rigs such as aban offshore, dynamic drilling,jagson drilling, hallworthy offshore, essar drilling….absolutely disgraceful
Please don’t generalize, that’s probably only where you come from.. Liars are everywhere, you only see what you want to see in this world. Try seeing the good in all people and you should be the first representation Dr. Islam.
So what does the BJP IT cell pay you to write this nonsense under a fake name?
Earlier,they have forged their history books & now the pilot license.
Pakistanis have been declared world leaders in the specialised industry of forgery by none other than the British high commissioner to Pakistan, Adam Thomson. This statement came when a visa scam was unearthed in Pakistan by the British tabloid The Sun. The News
Not much better in India either Mr Gary.
Systemic cheating and fraud is ingrained in many – but not all – aspects of Indian academics too. There is widespread cheating starting from school level exams and it continues through university and vocational levels. The BBC article on cheating in Bihar, replete with many pictures of people clambering on ledges and railings to help exam takers went viral, see ref: bbc.in/2Zm0Yvc
Indeed, even Indian IT companies, realising that many degrees, are pretty much worthless do their own training to bring their staff upto speed. And as someone who works in Europe and who has been involved in recruitments, I can confirm that we receive many embellished and dishonest CVs from Indians as well. At least on that matter, India and Pakistan seem to follow the same protocols !
Preposterous that the rot of corruption has allowed to fester into the sensitive occupation of airlines. It has clearly eaten into the Pain in the Ass Airlines. That’s what happens when the
selfish flame of intolerance reaches the hearth. I am sure all educated naysayers of any Pak like (Islamic superiority and exclusivity) country would propose to forgive. as part of the same beautiful world I for one would like to take full note of. This nation is the :timer: for the next world war. That’s Porkistan for you “A bunch of frothy Mullahs being leased on a yoke like snow dogs”.
I guess the only license these Mujahid worshippers will be allowed now is the one issued by the frothing Mullahs who trained such dishonest persons to ram their aircraft into buildings. I cannot imagine what these lunatics would do further if they can dishonour the trust of so many innocents who fly their airlines already gasping on life support. A shame these imbeciles are supported by the community of aviation.
I am sure these poor blokes were inspired by the promise of 72 Virgin Airlines CPLs licenses that I guess their deGenerate Army Generals give to the Mujahids as seasons tickets to hell once too often.