KARACHI: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will ground a third of its 434 pilots on suspicion they hold “dubious” licenses and flying certificates, a company spokesman said on Thursday.
The decision comes as an inquiry into a PIA crash last month, in which 97 people were killed, points to pilots not following procedures, while a government minister said the cockpit voice recorder suggested the pilots were distracted by a conversation about the novel coronavirus.
“We’ve been told that an investigation conducted by the civil aviation authority has found that about 150 of our pilots have dubious licenses,” company spokesman Abdullah H. Khan told Reuters.
All of the pilots under investigation would be grounded, he said. The PIA has a fleet of 31 aircraft that fly domestic and international routes.
Successive governments have tried to overhaul loss-making PIA over the years but with little sign of success.
The airline’s latest accident came late last month when an Airbus A320 on a domestic flight came down short of the runway in the southern city of Karachi, killing all but two of those aboard.
The aviation minister told parliament this week the plane’s pilots and air traffic control officers had not followed procedures and the two pilots had been pre-occupied by a discussion of the coronavirus shortly before the crash.
The investigation into pilots’ qualifications came after a 2018 crash when it was found that the test date on the license of the pilot involved had been a holiday — suggesting it was fake as testing could not have taken place on that day.
Another pilot had been out of the country on the date stamped on his flying certificate, Khan said.
PIA to ground nearly 150 pilots over ‘dubious’ licenses
https://arab.news/83g7t
PIA to ground nearly 150 pilots over ‘dubious’ licenses
- Decision follows an initial inquiry into Karachi plane crash on May 22
- Aviation minister highlighted irregularities at the national carrier before the parliament
Pakistan’s deputy PM discusses ways to boost economic, trade ties with Iran
- Both countries agreed in August to increase bilateral trade to $10 billion by 2028
- Pakistan and Iran have been working to stabilize relations after strained security ties
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar presided over a meeting to discuss economic and trade cooperation with Iran, the foreign office said on Friday, as the neighboring countries seek to expand ties.
The development took place during an inter-ministerial meeting on Pakistan-Iran bilateral relations chaired by Dar in Islamabad. Pakistan and Iran have been working to stabilize ties following a period of strained security relations.
Both countries have been working to enhance bilateral trade, setting up border markets and exploring barter trade to circumvent banking and currency restrictions. Sanctions and foreign exchange shortages remain key hurdles for Iran, making these alternative systems central to its trade strategy with Pakistan.
“The meeting reviewed ongoing cooperation across a range of sectors and discussed ways to further enhance economic and trade ties,” the foreign office said in a statement.
“The DPM/FM reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to deepening engagement with Iran in key priority areas.”
In December, the foreign ministers of Iran and Pakistan vowed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in trade and connectivity while working for regional peace.
Iranian President Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian also visited Pakistan in August, during which both countries signed agreements to increase bilateral trade to $10 billion by 2028.
